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Virtua Fighter 2: no not that one

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Released late in the life of the Mega Drive, Virtua Fighter 2 is a very accomplished rework of Sega’s 3D fighting game. It’s been reimagined in 2D, using sprites, but it feels very similar to the fighting in the 3D game – or the Saturn version of it, at least. The controls map well, with a button for each of punch, kick, and block. Some of the combos also seemed to work (Jacky’s dash hammer kick in particular) but I’m not sure if this is universal, due to my general incompetence in pulling these off.

It’s a very pretty and colourful game, and runs really smoothly as well. Had I had this before the Saturn released (and before I got a PlayStation) I imagine I’d have put a lot of time into it. Nowadays, despite it being a really good approximation, I would probably just play VF3b on the Dreamcast instead.

Blue blue skies.

Comix Zone: comically hard

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I love the concept, of being pulled into a comic and having to battle through the panels. Having the world shaped by your own hand, and then having enemies drawn in by your enemy is a work of genius. Choosing paths, having to jump across or down past the borders of the picture, is a really engaging mechanic. It looks stunning too, with large sprites which have been drawn full of character and incredibly colourful. This is paired with a fighting game engine which is very competent and fun to play with – punches and kicks carry weight, and enemies can be avoided by a millimetre.

But it’s very very hard. You have a single life, and recharges to your energy are few and far between. I haven’t worked out how to consistently kill enemies without them taking some of my health off. As such, I’ve never got very far in, and short of quick saving after every hit I’m not sure I ever will.

But it does look lovely.

Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Hidden Treasure (Mega Drive): COMPLETED!

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Since I had my Retroflag GPi out for the Mandatory Playing Of Mega-lo-Mania, I thought I’d play something else afterwards. Perusing those Mega Drive games I’d not really played before, but I remember having reasonable reviews, I came across Buster’s Hidden Treasure and gave it a punt.

And you know what? It’s alright actually.

The 8 and 16-bit console eras were drowning in character platformers, and yet none really touched Mario or Sonic. Even the big games like Dynamite Headdy or Rocket Knight couldn’t really compete, and licenced games specifically generally fared badly, especially on the Mega Drive and SNES.

Turns out that this Tiny Toon Adventures game isn’t anywhere near as bad as most similar platformers. Sure, it’s never going to be in anyone’s favourites list, but it manages to get the physics right (have you ever played Bubsy the Bobcat? Oh my) and have some genuinely fun levels and bosses. It’s by the numbers, but does it well. Even if Buster is trying very hard to be Sonic.

Mega-lo-Mania (Mega Drive): COMPLETED!

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Once more I was in the mood for some Mega-lo-Mania. I’ve gone into why I love the game before, but I just can’t stop playing it every so often. It is still The Best Game.

This time, I chose Oberon (the camp yellow guy), and when I reached the final level not one but two other gods managed to squirrel away some people for me to fight! Which took about ten seconds as I had loads and they had very few. Ah well.

Hellfire: colour coding

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The box of Hellfire is etched in my mind, as it sat on the shelf of the Computer Leisure Centre in Orpington for many months, unobtainable due to the expense but tempting due to the artwork. I had played R-Type, of course, and any number of lesser scrolling shooters on the CPC, but this looked fantastic, and the reviews in Sega Power and Mega did nothing to quell my enthusiasm.

Then, I recall, Colin got it, and I played it at his house, and it was fantastic. But since I could possibly borrow it, I no longer needed to buy it. I borrowed it a couple of times, and never got very far. See, I’m rubbish at shooters.

That’s present tense too. I’m still hopeless. Hellfire’s gimmick is that your ship can fire four ways – forwards, backwards, up and down, or to the four diagonals. You cycle between these on the B button while A fires; your ship changes colour depending on the gun direction. To get through the stages, particularly when you get to the bosses, you need to have the right weapon selected. I find this tricky.

The stages are colourful but the backgrounds never intrude

I’m playing on easy, and have got to Round 1 Stage 4 before meeting a section I just can’t get past. It really is a great game, it’s just that I’m pants at it.