Review contributed by Retro STrife and edited by the VGC.
For all its strengths the Genesis was lacking in the role-playing game genre. Phantasy Star was Sega's flagship RPG, intended to be an answer to Final Fantasy VI and other classic SNES RPGs. Phantasy Star IV leaps 1000 years into the future from Phantasy Star II, telling the story of Chaz Ashley who begins his journey as a novice hunter and ends it in a fight to save his solar system. The storyline starts out well but wanes over time, devolving into a convoluted tale about computer systems gone awry and an ominous entity wanting to wipe out all life. As his name implies, Chaz is an everyman that becomes a hero, but he isn’t a compelling protagonist. Likewise his rotating cast of allies don’t get enough screen time or backstory for us to develop a connection. The graphics are colorful and detailed, but hardly impressive for a late Genesis title. The music however is epic and some of its catchier upbeat tunes are sure to stick with you. In terms of gameplay, Phantasy Star IV is a traditional 16-bit Japanese RPG in every respect, with random turn-based battles, leveling up, and overhead exploration through towns, dungeons, and world maps. The battle system is standard fare with up to five characters using physical attacks, magic skills and techniques, items, and combo attacks. Never bogged down by filler or needless sidequests, the game maintains a brisk pace with the main story running 20-30 hours. Save points are frequent, grinding is rarely required, and a helpful “talk” function reminds you where you left off. It all adds up to a friendly retro RPG for modern times. While PSIV has no major flaws, there is an accumulation of minor issues. The inventory system is abysmal, with limited storage that forces you to micromanage your item slots. You can’t tell if new weapons and armor are upgrades to what you have while buying them at shops. The lack of an in-game map makes it hard to determine where to go for the next town or dungeon. Excessive random battles artificially prolong the game. But worst of all are the nonsensical spell names. With names like warla, gelan, rimit, and telele, spellcasting turns into a complete guessing game. Without constant reference to a manual or guide, there is no chance you’ll know what most items or abilities do. Yet for all its annoyances, a quality RPG still emerges that is just pure fun to play, with or without experiencing any prior games in the series. Phantasy Star IV doesn’t quite match the SNES's best offerings but it was and remains a worthy competitor. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

Sega released several cutting-edge football titles for the Genesis, most notably Joe Montana II Sportstalk Football (Sega, 1991) which actually incorporated voice play-by-play. You'd expect Prime Time to be far more advanced, yet it feels like a step backward. The only thing exceptional about Prime Time is its customizable rosters and user statistics. The non-intuitive play-calling screens serve up a lot of interesting plays like "bet the farm", "hatchet man", and "widow maker blitz". The field looks shabby. Instead of bright green turf, the grass looks like split-pea soup. Prime Time borrows a few good ideas from Tecmo Bowl (NES, 1988). You can toggle through your selected receiver before the play, but the arrow indicator is occasionally obscured by the play clock. The ability to perform a speed burst (by tapping B) is extremely useful on both sides of the ball. After hiking the ball, the camera suddenly raises up, and while I'm sure someone thought the visual effect was cool it's mainly disorienting. The passing game really comes down to luck because passes tend to be floaty and receivers rarely run their proper routes. The running game is more effective because defenders tend to fall over so easily! Sometimes your runningback will find himself standing in the middle of the field surrounded by defenders just lying on the ground. Also comical is how after every play the ball continues to spin and twitch like it has a mind of its own. After each play text is displayed of what just transpired, and while it's not a bad idea it lingers too long and you'll get tired of pressing a button to make it go away. The crowd noise has all the intensity of a water faucet and that high-pitched "horn" sounds like someone passing gas. On the field you'll hear random grunts and an occasional voice sample like "take that, punk!" The action is more uptempo than NFL '95 (Sega, 1994), but the animation is choppy and the ball occasionally launches itself into the air for no apparent reason. Sega must have been focusing their efforts on the Saturn system when they released Prime Time NFL. This game needed a heck of a lot more than a celebrity endorsement. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

RBI Baseball never set the world on fire, but its first edition on the Genesis was respectable enough. The graphics are decent, the controls are easy to learn, and the action moves along at a crisp pace. The main screen renders the pitcher up top and the batter below with two windows showing first and third base. It's an effective visual format that lets you to keep an eye on all of the baserunners. After the ball is hit you get a nice high view of the field. The elevated angle allows you to properly react in the infield, but navigating the expansive outfield is tricky. In 1991, RBI Baseball 3 had two big selling points. One was the actual 1990 player statistics, and the other was an instant replay feature. It may sound pretty ho-hum today, but anyone who remembers playing sports games back then will attest that an instant replay feature was a pretty big deal! Also notable is how the pitcher will occasionally hock a big brown loogie on the mound! That's right - RBI was the first baseball game to incorporate spitting! And it looks pretty gross! Fly balls are accompanied by audible cues to indicate their arc, but these high-pitched sirens are hard on the ears. Fielders move slowly, and their throws seem even slower! Also annoying is how the scoreboard will post zeroes for both teams for the upcoming inning - very confusing. RBI 3 is fun to play with a friend, but the CPU is a complete idiot. His fielders approach grounders at poor angles, often running into the outfield alongside the ball. Normally I dislike background music in sports games, but the tunes here have a nice baseball-esque quality with a tinge of suspense. The manual contains pages and pages of baseball rosters and statistics - now there's something you never see anymore! RBI has its share of ups and downs, but it still plays a halfway decent game of baseball. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Despite its ultra-lame cover, which features the exact same generic batter as last year, RBI Baseball 4 actually marks a dramatic overhaul for the series. The players on the pitcher/batter screen look more cartoonish, but the pitcher windup motion is very smooth and realistic. Once the ball is hit, the action unfolds quickly and the camera angle of the field is very tight. On one hand, this allows for larger, more detailed players. On the other hand, you have very little time to react to ground balls. To quote my friend Scott, "fielding is a nightmare." Any hesitation will cause a routine grounder to roll right by. If nothing else, RBI 4 does offer a generous serving of eye candy. The ball is super-detailed, and when it becomes large (during pop flies) you can even see all of its red stitches. The crowd looks incredible, with each fan exquisitely detailed. On the pitching screen, the two windows also show amusing animations including an old third-base coach who looks like he's doing the Macarena! This guy is so spastic, you can't tell if he's giving signs or having a seisure! Sometimes these windows will also display impressive replays like a tag-out at second base (with dust flying) or a diving catch. You can even see the crowd doing the wave! Each team has a unique ballpark roughly modeled after the real thing, and this was a huge deal in 1992. I remember my friends and I seeking out the fountains in Kansas City, only to discover they were frozen solid. RBI 4 has some odd quirks like pitchers who try to field everything in sight including pop-ups to the shortstop. When runners are tossed out, they actually run back to the dugout faster than they were running the bases! The umpires have huge beer guts, and the awful background music sounds like something from a freakin' carnival! A number of interesting play modes are included, including a homerun derby and "gamebreaker" mini-games that put you in various situations. There's even a "stadium tour mode" that lets you peruse the parks at your leisure. There's a lot to like about RBI Baseball 4 - too bad its gameplay isn't one of them! © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Radical Rex is exactly what you'd expect from the cheesy title. It's a paint-by-numbers platformer starring a cuddly T-Rex. Any respect you might have for this creature evaporates after you see him perform in an embarrassing dance number on the title screen. I have nothing against derivative platformers but Radical Rex takes the concept to nauseating extremes. You begin in a dense jungle with all sorts of buzzing insects and jumping lizards. These creatures turn out to be harmless but distracting nonetheless. Rex's fire breath should be an awesome weapon, but you need to flame something about five times before it has any effect! Rex also has a kung-fu kick that's equally worthless. You can walk right through most enemies so what's the point of even fighting them? The stages pack every cliche in the book: plants that propel you into the air, platforms that collapse when you land on them, swinging vines, and the obligatory water stage. No matter how much health you have, one prick of a spike spells instant death. Some stages have banked curves like Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1991). You can't dash around them but you can ride a skateboard like Adventure Island (NES, 1987). Sometimes a pterodactyl will give you a lift, like the one in Chuck Rock (Genesis, 1991). But what really pushed me to the brink was the scene where you enter a dinosaur's mouth and travel through its intestine track. That's lifted straight from Bonk's Adventure (Turbografx-16, 1990)! Even the bonus stages are rip-offs of Pengo (Atari 2600, 1984). Unoriginality notwithstanding, the gameplay is just plain bad. The jumps are floaty and the stages are so repetitive you'll think you're moving in circles. There's no score, no password, and the music is forgettable. Radical Rex is only good for reminding you how many good games you could be playing instead. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.

Early vertical shooters like Xevious (1983) tended to be slow and methodical. Modern vertical shooters tend to be insanely fast with missiles raining down the screen. That's all well and good, but in 1991 the genre hit the "sweet spot" in its evolution. I can't believe it took me so long to snag this terrific game. As one of the earlier Genesis titles, Raiden Trad compensates for its lack of pizzazz with nearly flawless gameplay. Your jet cruises over farmland, industrial zones, oceans, ruins, and space stations while blasting tanks, airships, cannons, and destroyers. Much of the scenery is forgettable, but close inspection reveals subtle touches like building shadows, grazing cows, and weathered roads. Raiden Trad's steady pacing, reasonable difficulty, and pinpoint controls come together to create a very rewarding shooting experience. There are only two weapons, but I'm happy to report that neither one of them sucks. The red one provides wide coverage, while the blue offers a more concentrated attack. Secondary weapons include powerful nuclear missiles or heat-seeking homing missiles. Naturally you also get a limited number of bombs. Despite the astonishing degree of chaos you can unleash, I never detected any slow-down. You'll be dodging missiles from all directions, but by far your biggest enemy is hesitation. The key to this game is getting into a rhythm! Before you get started however I would recommend setting the difficulty to normal (easy is the default) and turning rapid-fire on (your thumb will thank you). Continues are available so even uncoordinated players can get a peek at advanced stages. The sound effects are only average, but the upbeat soundtrack is quite good. Raiden Trad may not appear to be much on the surface, but the more you play, the more you realize what an expertly-crafted shooter it really is. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Rambo 3 is a surprisingly engaging one-man-army blast-a-thon. In true Rambo fashion you'll plow through scores of generic enemy soldiers and blow up gates to infiltrate their bases. Like the movie, Rambo 3's body count and destruction quotient are impressive! Not only can you spray bullets non-stop, but you can plant bombs to take out trucks and guard towers. I find it amusing the way guards always fall out of the towers when you blow them up - what a bunch of drama queens! Despite using only three buttons, I found the control scheme somewhat hard to grasp. The A button is used to toggle between items (knife, arrow, bomb), B uses these items, and C fires your machine gun. In the heat of battle, it's really easy to confuse A and B for some reason. Rambo 3's shooting action is non-stop and challenge is formidable. I had to turn down the difficulty (to easy) and crank up the lives (to five) just to make some headway into the game, and I'd advise you to do the same. Unlike the "real" Rambo, you will die early and often. While exploring prisons, arsenals, and fortresses, the screen scrolls in all directions. Unfortunately, certain levels tend to have maze-like layouts which are mildly annoying. My advice for playing Rambo 3? Hold down the C button and shoot like a freakin' madman, even when nobody's in sight (they will be soon). As icing on the cake, Rambo 3 also incorporates some truly impressive bonus rounds where you face off against a tank and helicopter. The controls offer a nice balance of risk and reward, and that looming helicopter looks amazing! Another interesting aspect of Rambo 3 is how the prisoner in mission 2 looks exactly like Rutger Hauer. And he wasn't even in the movie! The fine musical score suggests excitement and intrigue, and it has that unmistakable Genesis twang that we all love. A two-player mode is included, but it's alternating turns only. For Rambo fans in the mood for chaos, this fine shooter is right on target. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

Few things get my blood pumping like a good Genesis shooter, but Red Zone doesn't qualify. The packaging reads "from the creators of Subterranea", another Genesis shooter that didn't exactly set the world on fire. Red Zone has a few interesting elements, but in general it's too confusing and frustrating. In each stage you fly an Apache helicopter into enemy territory, attempting to wipe out targets such as airfields or radar facilities. Most missions also include an "on foot" sequence that puts you in control of an individual soldier infiltrating an enemy complex. The mission and status screens are quite detailed, and they provide some critical clues (like "knock out the power facility first"). You can zoom in on the map in a manner that brings to mind Blade Runner, but the close-ups rarely provide additional information, so what's the point? When flying your Apache, the action is viewed from directly overhead, but the rotating screen and confusing radar display make it easy to get disoriented. Scaling effects attempt to convey the height of land structures, but these are not very convincing. I had to repeat the second mission about eight times before I realized there was a "doorway" in the fence of an enemy fort. There are times when the game orders you to perform certain actions immediately, but you have no clue of what it's talking about. Red Zone involves more trial and error than skill. The "on foot" sections are slightly better because they're easier to navigate and you have two characters in reserve. Your soldier can fire a machine gun, throw grenades, or plant explosives. Too bad he hobbles around like he has a gigantic pole up his butt. One thing Red Zone does have going for it is its thumping electronic soundtrack - it's edgy and relentless. But overall, this is a poorly executed shooter that most Genesis fans could live without. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Here's a remarkable game that readers have been urging me to review for quite a while. Revenge of Shinobi begins as your typical side-scrolling ninja fighter, as you battle traditional samurai warriors in ancient settings. Shinobi is equipped with a limited number of shurikin throwing knives, and can perform melee attacks up close. You also have four Ninjitsu (ninja magic) powers to choose from (via the pause screen), providing invincibility, high jumping, and a fire attack. The fourth is magic ("Mijin") deals devastating damage but requires you to sacrifice a life. The game seems typical at first, but progressively becomes more surreal and bizarre. It's never dull though, because the stages change abruptly, and each feels like a different game. You'll traverse waterfalls, dark alleys, a factory, freeway, shipping dock, airport, and China Town, just to name a few. Along the way you'll face soldiers, attack dogs, Bruce Lee look-alikes, and ninja women disguised as nuns! The graphics are better than average, and what they lack in detail they make up for in personality. If you have the original version of the game, you'll encounter some inexplicable bosses including a Terminator, Batman, Spiderman, and even Godzilla! Interestingly, in the later-released "Sega Classics" version, most of these licensed characters have been replaced with odd substitutes (including a skeletal dinosaur). Revenge of Shinobi's controls are responsive with the exception of the double-jump move, which doesn't always want to work. Other frustrations include booby-trapped crates and getting knocked off of ledges into bottomless pits. Do real ninjas have to put up with that kind of crap? The game has an excellent old-school soundtrack, and the stage theme reminds me of Streets of Rage - it's that good. The sound effects of crackling flamethrowers and clanking swords are terrific, although the voice samples are generally awful (typical for the Genesis). Revenge of Shinobi had the makings of a truly great game, but it's entirely too hard. I had to do some serious research just to figure out how to defeat the first boss, and I never would have been able to properly review this game without my Game Genie. The difficulty is brutal, and the ending is weak. I can only recommend Revenge of Shinobi to gamers to insist their games be hard as nails. The game has a lot to offer, but casual players probably won't survive long enough to see much of it. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

This lame platformer excels in presentation but bends over backwards to prevent you from having a good time. First you're presented with a map screen a la Ghouls 'N Ghosts (Genesis, 1989). Risky Woods could only dream of being that good. In the first stage you walk across elevated rocky platforms, rapidly hurling knives at skeletons and birds, causing them to drop large coins. Picking stuff up turns out to be a major chore! You have to position yourself directly over an object and kneel down to pick up a single coin. Consider you'll need no less than 35 coins to earn decent suit of armor. It's more than a hassle; it's actually pain-inducing! And it's not even worth the effort since taking a hit causes your coins to spill out all over the place. Large treasure chests spew forth tantalizing items but be careful because half the stuff is actually detrimental! Pick up an apple and you'll go to sleep! Pick up arrows and you'll be transported back to an earlier point in the stage! Who could have possibly thought this was fun? The manual even has an "aaargh!" next to the arrow icon, which is basically an admission of guilt! Sometimes an arrow is covering an item you really need and you can't even avoid it. Another unwelcome feature is how the stages are timed. Some items award more time and others take it away, so what's the point? Collecting wheel-shaped objects and presenting them to a gargoyle lets you play a little game of Simon. The manual describes this act as "chanting" which is a little hard to swallow. Jumping platforms is annoying because something's always trying to knock you down in mid-air. In its defense, Risky Woods features ornate castles, decent music, and some nifty weapons like flaming rings. It's a shame the designers were their own worst enemy. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

This obscure platformer harkens back to the days of happy-go-lucky platformers like Super Mario World (SNES, 1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis, 1991). Ristar is a star-shaped hero with stretchy arms used to climb, grab enemies, and swing around poles. If you can stomach the cuteness factor this game is a heck of lot of fun. The stages are set on various planets, each with their own unique ecosystems (flowers, water, fire, snow, etc). Ristar arrived late in the Genesis life cycle, and it's clear that that developers knew exactly what they were doing. The colors are so brilliant that you'd think this was a 32X title. The degree of detail is exceptional, making effective use of textures, shadows, and scaling. The upbeat soundtrack is appealing, although not as catchy as the Sonic games. Ristar's mechanics take some getting used to. Instead of pouncing on creatures you grab them and head-butt them off the screen, which is satisfying. Enemies include fish, lizards, bunnies, and annoying dive-bombing birds. There's not much precision with "aiming" your arms but at least the collision detection is forgiving. Once you get used to the arm-swinging mechanics, you'll be navigating the levels with ease. There are alternates paths, secret areas, and not-so-hidden treasure chests that net you life and bonus points. Ristar is brimming with originality but the game does get confusing at times. You tend to get bounced around a lot, and it's hard to tell when you're giving or taking damage. Heck, just opening a chest makes it look like you got punched in the face! Still, Ristar is engaging and refreshingly easy. The bosses don't overstay their welcome and I especially enjoyed fighting the big hammerhead shark. Ristar may look like a standard platformer but it's like nothing you've ever played. Trust me - it's good. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

This classic motorcycle game succeeds on so many levels. It's a no-holds-barred cross-country racing game where abusing other racers is part of the fun. I remember when I first bought this game my friends couldn't get enough of it. My buddy John liked it so much that he used it in one of his college film projects. He videotaped parts of the game and spliced it with some cheesy clips of him riding his motorcycle - it was awful! My girlfriend (and future wife) also got a kick out of this game, and it's one of the few she'll still play today. The rolling hills and scaling scenery effectively convey the feeling of speeding down the open road, and you can even catch air on some of the big hills. There are five tracks, but since the scenery is sparse, they all look pretty much the same. What makes Road Rash such a trip is the perfect combination of racing and combat. When you pull along side other racers, you can punch and kick them off of their bike, and they fight back too! The best part is when you snatch a club from one guy, and then systematically beat the living crap out of everybody else. It's surprisingly easy to maneuver and maintain your position alongside opponents. Fighting while trying to avoid oncoming traffic can be quite a rush, but there's more. A cop on a motorcycle will try to run you off the road, but no, you can't beat him up (although everybody tries). After a motorcycle wrecks, the driver goes flying, but he's not out of the race yet! He'll automatically run back to his bike, which is often lying in the middle of the road. As you can guess, each oncoming motorcycle tries to run him over. And I can't forget the incredible music. These hard-edged, high-energy tunes are the best I've heard in a Genesis game - they REALLY get your adrenaline flowing. After each race you win cash to upgrade your bike or buy a new one, and you can save your place using a huge, hard-to-read password. Road Rash is a true classic that stands the test of time. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

The story behind Robocop Versus Terminator is so incomprehensible I couldn't explain it if I tried. Suffice to say Robocop must battle Terminators to save mankind. The gameplay is pretty straightforward thanks to mission directives like "avoid the bullets" and "try to stay alive" (no kidding). You don't tend to expect much from a film mash-up like this, but Robocop Versus Terminator is awesome. Its rapid-fire, ultra-violent brand of shooting is some of the best I've experienced on the Genesis. The very first stage pretty much "had me at hello" with its blood-red evening city skyline, which is truly a sight to behold. It looks so good that I pretty much insist on playing this game at night. The characters are huge and Robocop exhibits the same mannerisms he does in the film. The controls are outstanding. You can fire at various angles, easily grab hold of ladders, quickly scoot across wires, and even shoot while hanging. Even climbing scaffolding is fun in this game! But what really puts Robocop Versus Terminator over the top is its excessive violence. When you blast thugs their bodies explode in a fountain of blood accompanied by gurgling sound effects. When you shoot snipers in the windows, blood splatters all over the curtains, and I like that! When fighting Terminators they transform from human figures to exoskeletons as you wear them down. The first few stages are gangbusters, but later stages expose a few flaws. Some have a lot of irritating small robots that are hard to destroy. The boss fights run far too long, and the bosses themselves are fatal to the touch! Brandishing a special weapon makes things easier, but acquiring one seems to depend on luck. Some of the weapons are ridiculous. There are "homing bullets" that swarm on enemies, and explosive canisters that you can guide slowly around the screen. But just because a weapon is crazy doesn't mean it's not fun to use! The music in the opening stage is unintentionally hilarious with a guy doing voice samples who sounds really, really flamboyant. Robocop Versus Terminator has its quirks, but if you're looking for a high-octane shooter, this game kicks ass. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.