When I heard about this I had to get it immediately as I was a fan of Aladdin. In my childhood I owned the movie on VHS and also had the game on the SNES. I purchased the game for the Sega Master System. Before putting on the game I immediately thought that this could be the worst one as it's on a 8 bit console and the graphics and sound quality would not be as great compared to the 16 bit consoles.
As with Mega Cat Studios other titles, the Mega Drive case is branded with their logo which really is a nice touch as it makes them stand out and feel that little bit extra special. The cover image is of the main character moving at speed towards a golden coin, as if he’s hurtling out of the image itself, with the background featuring heavy motion blur to give that sense of pace. The spine is also uniform and matches up perfectly with other MCS releases whilst the rear sums up the gameplay in a succinct paragraph as some additional quotes hammer home that this is an addictive puzzle-based title, along with some screenshots.
This is the first in a series that will see us covering a large portion of the Mega Cat Studios Mega Drive-related output, with the end result being an interview and deep dive into the studio itself.
The confectionary connoisseurs at Mega Cat Studios, Space Pants Games, and Video Game Sage are excited to announce that their upcoming jet-powered adventure, Rocket Panda, will launch for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive on September 16, 2024.
Get ready to soar in a scrumptious adventure where collecting treats and battling ferocious enemies is the name of the game! In Rocket Panda, players join our heroic panda as he sets out on a delicious quest to gather goodies, rescue badgers, and thwart the nefarious Biscuit Head. With more than 60 maze-like levels to navigate and cookie-crumbling action, this retro gem promises to be a treat for fans of classic 16-bit gaming.
In the space of only two years since that release, Neofid Studios have returned to the world of Asteborg and doubled down on what made the preceding title so great, this time upping the ante with local co-op and rogue-lite aspects that exist to add longevity to the game, making it the absolute cream of the Mega Drive crop.
The SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 is set to release on October 27th, 2022.
More details are available on the official website: https://sega.jp/mdmini2/en/
The Mega Drive Mini 2 features 60 titles from SEGA's illustrious back catalogue, including, for the first time, titles from the MEGA CD era, new ports and previously unreleased games.
Those cheeky monkeys at NumSkull have released a Sonic The Hedgehog countdown calendar where you get to build the blue maestro piece by piece over the course of the Christmas Countdown!
https://www.second-dimension.com/catalog/the-curse-of-illmoore-bay
Developer – Second Dimension R&T, LLC
New Mega Drive games always feel special, whether they push the little black box to the edge of its capabilities or perhaps capture an earlier period of its shelf life. The Curse of Illmoore Bay is a title that feels like it captures the essence of Sega in 1993/4 with its platforming action, visual style and kiddy-creepy approach.
Known mostly for their MSX releases, Spanish developers Kai Magazine are now branching out into the Mega Drive world with this, their first release on the platform - a run ‘n gun shooter that is presented with tongue firmly in cheek.
“Kill everyone, destroy everything, save the girl… just because you can” – great tagline.
Set in a parodic version of the ‘80s, Metal Dragon comes boxed with a reversible cover – representative of the grid / blue box art versions of Mega Drive games that changed over time.
I kept with the earlier ‘grid’ style as Metal Dragon feels like a game from the early ‘90s. The cover of each features our hero standing heroically atop a tank as a massive explosion looms behind – as does other, general carnage– as he holds his machine gun aloft, with the President’s daughter at his arm, scantily clad – natch.
Released in 2021 on the Mega Drive, however…. it’s still a classic, ‘must have’ title.
Some days I find myself trying to draw stuff in MS Paint and those are the days when I manage to produce BADLY DRAWN VIDEO GAMES CONSOLES!
My plan is to draw as many badly drawn consoles as I can in 2021.
Let's see how far I get...
For some reason, I wanted to catalogue all the reviews from Issue 0 to 24 so that if I ever need to refer to a physical edition of Mean Machines then I know exactly what issue I need to look at.
Yes it's nerdy and yes it is a bit silly but I think that it's something that you probably didn't realise you need but you do now!
