Several excellent video games for the Sega Genesis should be updated for today.
There was a time when the argument over which system was better was not only legitimate, but also legitimately heated. The Sega Genesis was a true competitor to the powerful Super Nintendo. It wasn’t all advertising, either, though the “blast processing” thing and the really cool mascot helped. There have recently been some excellent games for this system.
Some of these Sega Genesis games have continued, either in the form of sequels or collections of older games, but a lot of them have been left to collect dust on the shelves of time. If fans are lucky, they’ll be able to find them on different ports, but if that’s all they can hope for, it’s a shame because these games deserve to be brought up to date.
World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse And Donald Duck
In the 1990s, Disney made some great games, like Castle of Illusion, which came before World of Illusion and got a new version in 2013. But for the most part, all of those games were just well-made variations of the side-scrolling style, with not a lot of new ideas. World of Illusion, on the other hand, showed some real creativity.
This two-player co-op game had some of the best-looking colorful cartoon graphics in the system’s entire library. It also had a unique style of gameplay in which players had to use special abilities to help each other through the levels. It’s similar to the popular indie game Unravel from 2016, so there’s no reason why a remake wouldn’t be a big hit.
Ecco The Dolphin
During the 1990s, a lot of media for young people had an environmental message. Many kids who grew up during that time period were influenced by films like FernGully: The Last Rainforest and TV shows like Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Ecco the Dolphin would be the (cooler and less preachy) video game equivalent of the two.
But even though the need to care about the environment has grown exponentially, it seems that the big companies that made that media have stopped pandering and have gone back to just polluting. But now is a time when an Ecco game might actually catch on, especially since (environmentalist sentiment aside) there are already a lot of popular games with the same laid-back vibe and beautiful natural settings.
Rocket Knight Adventures
During the 16-bit era, it wasn’t easy for a platform game to stand out, but Konami’s Rocket Knight Adventures made it look like it could. This easy-to-play side-scrolling game put its own spin on a genre dominated by Mario and Sonic, and both the game and its opossum protagonist, Sparkster, seemed like they could be the Dr. Pepper to their Coke and Pepsi. And then it kind of just stopped happening.
There was a good sequel, and Sparkster was the mascot for Konami for a while. He also showed up in a number of other games over the years, but Rocket Knight Adventures never reached its full potential. In 2010, there was an attempt at a comeback. And it was received fairly well, but there is still room for a true return to form.
Ranger X
Flying around in a cool mech suit is always a fun thing to do in a video game. And Ranger X is one of the best ways to do it. Many side-scrolling run-and-gun games have sent players on dangerous journeys through environments full of explosives to avoid and enemies to kill, but few have done it as well as this GAU Entertainment game from 1993.
The graphics in this game are already great, but they could be even better if they made the hyperspace jump into the modern gaming environment. Fans who loved the fast-paced action Ranger X brought them would jump at any chance to go back to that great place, and people who haven’t seen the show before would quickly understand why.
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
No, Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures wasn’t thought to be a good game. It wasn’t even close to being as good as its famous predecessor. And it’s unlikely that anyone on Earth would be excited about a remake. But this strange puzzle game had a weird Looney Tunes-like charm. It missed the mark in many ways, but it might work better in a more modern setting.
Instead of having to move an annoying cursor around the screen to interact with it, players could just tap on a touchscreen. The slow-paced puzzle-solving gameplay would fit in well with other modern games like Abzu or Happy Wheels. Heck, a modern gamer with a sense of irony would almost certainly like the idea of bringing back a game that no one cares about with the right marketing. Pac-Man 3: The New New Adventures has more potential than it seems at first glance.
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Even bad guys should get some attention. After all, what good would a hero be without them? Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine is really just Puyo Puyo with a Sonic the Hedgehog skin on it. But that’s a pretty cool idea, and the game is a lot of fun. Fans liked it enough to include it in a boss fight in Sonic Mania, so why not make a sequel?
A new version of Mean Bean Machine wouldn’t be hard to put together. And there are already dozens of Sonic the Hedgehog characters and settings to choose from. Even a slick new version for smartphones would probably do well.
VectorMan
VectorMan is one of the Sega Genesis games that should have turned into a full-fledged franchise. Everything should have gone somewhere: the fast-paced action, the impressive digital design. The fluidity and smooth feel of the controls, and the cool-looking main character that any kid on the planet could draw. But it didn’t.
There was supposed to be a third part for the Sega Saturn. But it never happened, just like the Sega Saturn itself. It’s a real shame that VectorMan and all of its great potential are now just fond memories, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The term “ecosystem” refers to a group of people who work in the construction industry.
Alien Soldier
Treasure has a long history of producing great action games, including hits and underappreciated classics for a variety of platforms. Alien Soldier, from 1995, is one of their best, but it’s not treated like it, which is a shame because it could really use the Gunstar Super Heroes treatment.
This impressive-looking, fast-paced, and, yes, sometimes frustrating run-and-gun game got a lot of good reviews. And it had fans, but that wasn’t enough to get it into the Hall of Underrated Classics. It can be downloaded digitally on a number of platforms. But an updated version could give the game the widespread praise it deserves.
