Genesis Reviews J-L

In the early 90's I was a big fan of PGA Tour Golf (Electronic Arts, 1991), so now I'm playing catch-up to see what the other golf titles had to offer. Jack Nicklaus Power Challenge features impressively realistic graphics and crisp control. Each hole begins with a digitized photo of Jack offering tips. You get a peek at an overhead view of the hole, but I really wish that would remain on the screen while you're lining up your shot! I was expecting to play as Jack, but instead I'm some Asian guy. You get a high angle of the fairway nestled in pixelated foliage. It takes several seconds for the scenery to render, drawn from the middle of the screen outward. The problem is, whenever you adjust your aiming crosshair - even by one pixel - this scene has to painstakingly redraw itself. Why in the heck does it do that? It doesn't even look any different! I tried the "fast play" option but that didn't help (fast play my ass!). The bottom offers information overload with a dozen or so gauges and indicators. The swing meter runs the width the screen and provides pinpoint accuracy. I love my player's fluid swing and the way the ball comes off the tee. Once the ball settles in the distance an options menu lets you continue, view a replay (normal or reverse), or access "other options" like consulting your scorecard and stuff like that. Power Challenge does a nice job of selecting the proper club which saves you some time. The putting game is problematic because the grid overlay isn't very helpful in determining the break of the green. The "wind meter" pulls double duty as slope indicator, but frankly it doesn't perform either function particularly well. Other than the screen draws, the pacing of the game good and you can get into a nice rhythm. There's very little audio as you play, except for the occasional dunk in the water or claps from an invisible crowd. At the end of my round I was congratulated on my score and prompted to enter the date, and guess what? It saved it to the cartridge! This game can be aggravating at times but if you're the patient type Power Challenge really isn't that bad. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

I wasn't a 007 fan until Daniel Craig hit the scene, so now I'm playing catch-up. James Bond 007: The Duel is pretty awful. Is that supposed to be Timothy Dalton on the title screen or Chris Kattan? Similar to Rolling Thunder in design, you move from floor to floor shooting bad guys, climbing ladders, and collecting items. I'm not sure what "the duel" refers to; this is a very conventional single-player platform-shooter. You shoot milk men, save a bunch of ladies in cocktail dresses, and head to the finish. The opening stage takes place on a sprawling cargo ship, and the orange steel and island backdrops look very nice. James can fire sideways or diagonally, and he can even fire while hanging on a ladder. The lead character looks the part but the control is terrible. You have to make a concerted effort to finagle your way up ladders or simply turn to face attackers. Jumping is problematic because you can't tell what you can jump on or what's just part of the background. When you get shot you often fall off your current platform, and falling just about any distance is fatal. I do like how James automatically picks up any objects he runs by. Enemies tend to mindlessly scamper back and forth. You'll get into the habit of shooting while running so if an enemy appears on the edge of the screen he'll run right into the bullet. In stage two Bond is jumping between trees like a monkey in a tuxedo and it looks ridiculous. The Duel plays so poorly that even when you know exactly what to do survival is largely a matter of luck. You'll find yourself inadvertently finishing stages but when you shut this game off it will be no accident. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

Attempting to combine a streetwise style with the "dunktastic" gameplay of NBA Jam, Jammit borders on self-parody. This one-on-one slamfest is played on a half court, forcing you to "clear" the ball during each change of possession. This little detail is easy to forget, and as a result you'll accidentally score more than a few points for the other team. The open-court action is pretty shabby. Despite utilizing the Genesis six-button controller, there are no effective special moves to the basket. Players tend to get "stuck" on each other when they collide, resulting in some very ugly, stilted animation. One thing Jammit does right is its shooting controls, which require one button press to jump and a second to release the ball. When in close proximity to the hoop, a dramatic close-up shows both players soaring over the rim. I love how that second press "pulls the string" and slams the ball down. Likewise if the defender is in position he can swat it away with a well-timed swipe. The meager character selection includes two black guys and - get this - a white chick! Not only does she look totally out of place, but inexplicably she can jump higher than the guys! Her mere existence should cost this game a letter grade - she looks like somebody's mom running around for Pete's sake! Jammit tries to convey "attitude" by incorporating funky music, trash talking, and urban scenery, but it all seems phony and contrived. The bass-heavy music is okay, but the repetitive voice samples ("C'mon sucker!") are lame. On a positive note, most of the nighttime backdrops are colorful and attractive, particularly the one with the sunset over the ocean. Despite its general cheesiness, Jammit can still be fun if played against a friend thanks to its satisfying slam dunks. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Like the movie itself, you're not likely to remember this by-the-numbers platform game ten minutes after you take out the cartridge. The awful film starred Sylvester Stallone as a cop in 2070 serving as "judge, jury, and executioner" for an endless parade of lowlifes he encounters. Adding a little comic relief (very little) was his sidekick played by Rob Schneider. Stallone's outfit looks absolutely goofy with those huge, gold-plated, feathered shoulder pads. In the game you fight crime on generic platforms as futuristic cityscapes loom in the background. I found it very difficult to spot the ladders in this game because they're viewed from the side. Climbing them isn't much easier! Judge Dredd's controls are very touchy. You can fire at several angles, but it's hard to aim because you're running at the same time. The graphics are nicely detailed (you can even make out the rusty bolts) but the industrial scenery grows tiresome after a few stages. The characters are quite small and it's hard to tell what's happening during close combat. You'll find yourself navigating around gas vents, electrical fields, elevators, and floating platforms (yawn). And yes, in one stage you do walk through sewers flowing with green sludge! Joy! The so-called "missions" all share a predictable underlying thread - dispose of the scumbags! Your rapid-fire capabilities may tempt you to lay waste to everything in sight, but shooting someone in the act of surrendering will cost you health. That's probably the only original element of the entire game - too bad it's not any fun! When you properly handcuff a thug, a little disc flies in and whisks them off to prison. Judge Dredd is challenging enough, but it ultimately comes off as monotonous and bland. Where the hell is Rob Schneider when you need him? © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

My friend Eric brought this cartridge over my house when Jurassic Park mania was in full swing. Turn it on and a T-Rex roars "Sega!" Now that is awesome. I also like watching that huge Jurassic Park gate slide open, although I'm pretty sure they swing open in the movie. The intro cutscene is dark and scary, depicting a jeep attacked by a T-Rex on a stormy night. You begin play as Dr. Grant in a dense jungle, where you shoot, squat, climb, jump, and move hand-over-hand along vines. When he comes up short on a jump he'll grab the ledge and pull himself up. Grant looks realistic but the animation is choppy and the controls are stiff. It's hard to tell where to go at times, and it seems like you're constantly sliding down a slippery slope or falling into an unknown chasm. The erratic framerate not only degrades the controls, but even the music slows down. Environmental hazards include spikes, boulders, and electric wires. Touching water or a tumbling rock means instant death, forcing you restart the entire level! Despite its flaws there's something compelling about this game. The digitized dinosaurs look and sound amazing! You'll face raptors, spitting dinosaurs, pterodactyls, and those annoying tiny green dinosaurs. If you don't attack the Triceratops he won't charge you, and that makes your life a lot easier. The T-Rex is never seen full-body but he makes his presence felt by sticking his huge noggin wherever it will fit. You can't actually kill any dinosaurs but you can tranquilize them, and it's neat how their chests rise and fall while sleeping. Running is often your best course of action, especially in the shadowy power station where you're stalked by raptors. Ducking into a vent at the last possible moment is exciting, but the music that plays during this stage is just plain weird. The river raft stage may be the most visually appealing, but navigating towering waterfalls while fighting dinosaurs is hard. The option to play as the raptor is fun, mainly because you can jump a country mile. Still, chomping small dinosaurs and pouncing on helpless security guards gets old after a while. Jurassic Park has its share of frustration but I feel like it captures the spirit of the film and you can't ask for much more than that. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.

Way back in "the day", I remember my old buddies Steve and Brendan telling me about this game after they had rented it for a night. They wrote it off as a run-of-the-mill platformer, but playing it today, I would definitely give it more credit than that. Yes, Kid Chameleon (KC) borrows liberally from Mega Man (among others), but a game doesn't need to be original to be fun. If you've grown weary of 2D platform games, KC might just rekindle your enthusiasm. The game's background story is a load of incomprehensive nonsense involving a virtual reality arcade machine. Just ignore that. KC's gameplay is quite familiar as you hop across platforms, pounce on enemies, and bump blocks to reveal items and power-ups. The star of the game is a kid with a bouffant hairdo (who looks like Brendan), but he's constantly changing forms. He'll transform into the wall-climbing Iron Knight, the headfirst charging Berzerker, the axe-wielding Maniaxe, the insert-like Micromax, the laser-shooter EyeClops, the hoverboard-riding Skycutter, and the flying/drilling Cyclone. Juggernaut transforms him into a skull-firing tank! Each form has its own standard abilities and special powers that can be triggered after you've collected a certain number of diamonds. KC's graphics and audio are about average by Genesis standards, with stages depicting scenic lakes, wave-swept beaches, floating castles, volcanic caves, and jungles. The levels tend to be short but well designed, although occasionally you'll find yourself sliding into a bed of spikes (or pool of lava). One stage that's especially bizarre places KC in the jungle where he's pursued by a huge wall of spikes. Your adversaries are a motley crew that includes stone heads, crawling hands, and baby dragons. Kid Chameleon is generally easy to control, although some of the more narrow platforms can be slippery. I like how Kid adjusts his body when walking up or downhill - something you never see in a video game. What makes the game so fun is its reasonable difficulty and sheer variety. The scenery is constantly changing, and the ability to change forms provides multiple ways to complete each stage. Kid Chameleon tends to get lost in the vast sea of 16-bit platformers, but once you start playing you may find it hard to stop. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

The King of the Monsters series never made a big splash on the Genesis, but its basic style of play seems to have been adopted by the latest generation of 3D monster games, notably Godzilla (GameCube) and War of the Monsters (PS2). There are four creatures to choose from, including the Godzilla-like "Geon", the rock golem "Rocky", the bug-like "Beetle-mania", and the Ultraman-inspired "Astro Guy". The first three are well designed, but Astro Guy looks like a dork in a cheap superhero costume. The graphics and animation are good for the Genesis, although you can't help but wonder how much better this might look on the Neo Geo. Unlike many fighting games of this nature, it's actually easy to tell what's going on, even when the combatants are holding or chomping on each other. The four cities are remarkably detailed, with large buildings, bridges, and markers indicating the boundaries of the battle. Smashing up the city is part of the fun. The military is a constant presence, and you can pick up these ships, tanks, and planes to hurl as weapons! Despite using only three buttons, there are a surprising number of moves and combinations you can execute. King of the Monsters has a strong wrestling influence, which has a detrimental effect on the gameplay. It's bad enough to see monsters execute suplexes, body slams, or piledrivers, but watching them "pin" their opponent for the win is almost embarrassing. Not only does it look ridiculous, but you can always escape the first two pins anyway. I hate how a monster can keep fighting after its life meter has been completely depleted. Also annoying is how the winner's health does NOT recharge between fights. The roars and other audio effects are muffled, but at least the music is decent. King of the Monsters is an interesting title - too bad it's not very fun to play. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

The first time I played Lakers vs. Celtics I was still living at home, and as usual, a bunch of my friends were hanging out in my oversized bedroom playing video games. My buddy Keith had brought over Lakers Vs. Celtics, and we were all very impressed with it. The game's TV-style presentation features two anchors at a desk who comment on the game via scrolling text. Actually, the black guy never says anything, but he does crack a smile periodically and it looks hilarious. During halftime, a brief highlight is shown of another game "in progress" - nice! On the court, the wood surface looks realistic, the lanky players perform their famous "signature" moves, and coaches pace the sidelines. I still recall my friend Tuan pointing out how the players actually wore the correct numbers on their jerseys! Playing Lakers Vs. Celtics just recently was an eye-opening experience. Only ten teams are available, but Michael Jordan is on the Bull's roster! In most subsequent basketball games, Jordan didn't appear due to licensing issues. Compared to modern basketball games, Lakers Vs. Celtics is slow and choppy, and it takes a while to run the length of the court. There's no turbo or crossover move, so it's nearly impossible to penetrate to the hoop. As bad as it sounds, these limitations force you to rely on well-timed passes, making the gameplay more strategic. It's surprisingly fun, and the slow-motion dunks are quite satisfying. On the downside, instead of the "star" icon used in later games, your "selected" player sports black shoes which are hard to see. Sometimes a player will score even when the ball clearly didn't pass through the hoop. The rebounding game is fairly atrocious, and it's not usual to see offensive players follow up their own missed lay-ups or dunks - several times in a row. And for goodness sake, turn OFF that blaring music that plays nonstop during the game. That leaves you with a crowd that's dead silent until you score. Lakers Vs. Celtics definitely shows its age, but if you accept its limitations it's still worthwhile. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Before EA arrived on the scene with its excellent PGA Tour series, Leader Board set the standard. This golf simulator ruled the personal computer market of the 1980's, delivering realistic golf action with precision control. Upon firing it up I noticed several names already in the save slot. That's right - after almost 30 years that battery is still working! Leaderboard may lack a PGA license but it does contain three real golf courses along with the fictional "Gauntlet". Prior to each hole you're presented with a graphic rendering of the hole on a levitating chunk of earth, like something you'd see in an Avengers movie. The shot screen is less impressive. Your golfer at the bottom is downright tiny by 16-bit standards, and the fairways and sand traps look angular as hell. An overhead map on the right shows where the ball is on the current hole, scaling in and out while the ball is in flight. Selecting the proper club is all on you, although a "caddy advice" option lists the club distances. Leader Board employs a circular swing meter you hold in for power, release at the apex, and press again for accuracy. Setting the power is touchy and the meter snaps back so fast it's hard to hit the ball cleanly. Putting is tricky because the viewing angle fails to properly convey distance. That said, golf purists may appreciate the fact that Leader Board doesn't hold your hand. You really do need to focus. One errant shot can spell disaster, placing you behind a wall of trees (pro tip: use a chip shot). The sparse audio is basically limited to the sound of your swing and the ball rattling into the cup. The commentary is equally sparse, with the occasional gravelly voice remarking "can't be too happy about that one". I enjoyed Leader Board's brisk pacing but it's not nearly as playable as PGA Tour Golf (Genesis, 1991). For hardcore golf fans however this game is guaranteed to put their skills to the test. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

One memorable night in 1993 I visited the local Video Game Exchange with my posse in tow. I had my eye on the new Lethal Enforcers light gun shooter. I was intrigued by the big blue box, but at $70 I was concerned about replay value. The guy behind the counter gave me the option of purchasing a used copy for $5 less! What a guy. I wouldn't actually acquire the game until many years later when I started collecting "retro" titles. I recently sat down to revisit this oldie but my 27" Toshiba CRT was letting me down. Even after closing the shades and cranking up the brightness, half of my shots didn't register and many that did were often off-target. So I started digging through my stash of "standby" CRTs in the garage and found a 20" JVC that actually worked well with this game. Lethal Enforcers is still a lot of fun but its "cutting edge" qualities haven't aged well. The once-impressive digitized video looks grainy and washed out, and the digitized audio is awfully scratchy. Still, there's a certain charm when crooks yell "eat lead!" and "you can't shoot me!" Lethal Enforcers comes with a blue "Justifier" light gun and when it's working the game is a blast. The opening bank robbery stage features crooks in ski-masks popping up from behind counters, and I love to shoot that pornstashe guy in a gray suit. It's satisfying how when shot they yell and fall back. Hesitate or miss and you may suffer damage in the form of a bloody hole in your TV screen. Occasionally an innocent civilian will leap out, and if you accidentally shoot them a bloody red X appears as they scream in horror. You can't shoot up the scenery, but snipers fall from windows, tires can be shot out, and clever thugs pretend to be innocent civilians. The bank stage transitions to a back alley scene before finishing up with a car chase. When you shoot the guy hanging out of a car he rolls right out on the street and that is freaking awesome. The gritty "action movie" soundtrack is very good. After defeating the rocket-launching boss you're assessed on your performance. Unless you're a dead-eye dick, you're likely to see the message "Too many rookie mistakes - reloading same assignment." That sucks!! Later stages include knife-throwing karate dudes in ChinaTown, terrorists at an airport, and guys in gas masks at a chemical factory. The pink "player two" gun (sold separately) allows two people to play at once, but it's confusing because both players have the same colored shots. Using a normal controller is also an option but for the true Lethal Enforcers experience you'll want to be using guns as God intended. Just be advised that it may require some effort on your part. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

After the first Lethal Enforcers (Genesis, 1993) a Wild West version was inevitable. I mean, how hard is it to dress up a bunch of dudes as cowboys and position them around some old Hollywood set? In addition to shootouts in banks, jails, and saloons, Gun Fighters offers exciting high-speed chase scenes involving a stagecoach and a train. In many ways this is a better game than the original. The pacing is faster and the gun feels slightly more accurate. When you don't hit an enemy squarely he'll flinch but won't go down. Your targets tend to be generic outlaws, indians, and vaqueros, but there are also bigger guys that can survive several shots. I like how you can shoot select parts of the scenery like windows, signs, and lamps. While cooperating with a second player your shots are now color-coded which makes things much easier. There are some really awesome weapons in this game including a cannon (!) and a gatling gun (!!). There's even a bonus stage where you try to shoot as many bottles off the bar as you can in ten seconds. But for all its bells and whistles Lethal Enforcers 2 still manages to shoot itself in the foot. They went completely overboard with the digitized voices, overloading each scene with repetitive quips like "you ain't gonna get me, sheriff!" Even if I shoot some guy in the face he'll still manage to finish that damn sentence! But what ultimately drags down the fun factor is exhausting boss encounters. The first boss fires cannonballs non-stop and you need to hit that son of a [expletive] about 100 times. All that wear and tear on your trigger finger has side effects, like not wanting to play the game. At least you're always allowed to progress to the next stage regardless of your performance. The wild west theme fits like a glove, but Lethal Enforcers II is shallow, fleeting fun. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

This simulation lets you play out the events leading up to America's declaration of independence in 1776. Liberty or Death gives you the option of playing as the "good" George Washington side or the "bad" Thomas Gage side. British people hate this game! Liberty is thought-provoking and intelligently designed, but its scope is overwhelming. The game is played over a collection of map screens which track the status of dozens of "districts" within the original 13 colonies. There's a lot of numbers and color codes on the screen which are never sufficiently explained. It doesn't help that the 85-page manual is in black-and-white! It doesn't even bother to explain the options menu for Pete's sake! Juggling materials and units is a monumental chore as you wade through layers of menus while shuffling commanding officers and randomly adjusting amounts of food and money. A tutorial would have been nice! The game periodically goes into autopilot mode as various reports come pouring in and events begin to unfold on their own accord. The game is a little easier to grasp when a battle is initiated. The battle screen lets you strategically position troops to take advantage of the geography, and the reasonable number of options makes for some tactical fun. Liberty's graphics are very good, with colorful illustrations depicting key events and small animations conveying troop movements and attacks. The text is large and easy to read, and pleasant patriotic music plays throughout. There's clearly a lot of substance here, but wrapping your brain around Liberty or Death is a colossal challenge and I was not up to the task. It's not that I dislike strategy games, but if I'm still lost after the first hour, I'm moving on. History buffs with a lot of patience can bump up the grade by a letter, but despite what the name would imply, "not playing" is also an option. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Don't be fooled by the name; Lightening Force is actually Thunder Force IV. Sega of America altered the title for stateside release and did you notice they didn't even spell it right? "Lightening Force" would be a more appropriate name for a bleach detergent for crying out loud. Anyway this side-scrolling shooter might kick ass on most systems but on the Genesis it feels middle of the road. You select the order of the first four stages: lake, desert, air-raid, and space ruins. The stages scroll up and down a bit, giving you extra room to maneuver. The lake stage is probably the best despite those fake-ass looking clouds. The desert stage simulates a windstorm and its grainy visuals are a little hard on the eyes. It does however look cool how certain enemies drop from the sky and burrow through the sand. The stormy sky stage is confusing because there are all these ships coming at you and they seem impervious to your shots. Your firepower is substantial, with numerous powerups and the awesome "claw" which disperses your shots nicely. Tight controls allow you to strategically change weapons on-the-fly, which is key. The explosions are excellent and some enemies even model damage before falling off the screen. Modest rotation and scaling is used to convey enemies approaching from the background. The pulse-pounding soundtrack is great but the graphical style leaves much to be desired. Enemies tend to look like shapeless mechanical blobs, and those "growing-walls-in-space" are super annoying. But the biggest issue is slowdown. When an enemy begins to multiply or pump out projectiles, the action slows to a crawl. It adversely affects the controls and is disconcerting. There also seem to be a lot of lulls in the action where you're just waiting for something to happen. I've always had mixed feelings about Lightening Force. It feels like a case of the series taking two steps forward and three steps back. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.