Nice Package! (Landstalker, Mega Drive)

Sega's (or maybe I should say Climax Entertainment's) Landstalker is one of a small handful of games that really defined the 16-bit era for me.

As much as I loved the 8-bit systems--oh, boy, did I (and still do)--the color and resolution bumps showcased in games produced for their 16-bit successors blew my teenage mind.

If you aren't old enough to have lived through the transition from 8-bit to 16-bit gaming, compare the Famicom port of Konami's TwinBee to Pop'n TwinBee for the Super Famicom. Or compare, say, the battles in any of Enix's first four Dragon Quest titles to those in Tengai Makyou II: Manji Maru for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 system.

When Landstalker was first shown off in the gaming magazines I pored over as a youngster, I compared it to the likes of Square's Final Fantasy Adventure and Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Those titles were (and continue to be) gorgeous in their own right, of course, but back when Landstalker was released, especially, its aesthetic looked light years beyond what they offered up.

To be honest, I can't say I enjoyed playing Landstalker as much as I enjoyed playing Final Fantasy Adventure or A Link to the Past (the isometric perspective in Climax's effort often makes things awkward), but that's a different story.

At any rate, I'll always have a soft spot for Landstalker. Which I guess helps explain why I recently picked up a complete-on-box copy of the Japanese Mega Drive version of the game. (And before that, I bought copies of two other great Mega Drive games: Shining Force and Shining Force II. I guess I should add Shining and the Darkness to the pile ASAP.)



Would I have picked up a copy of Landstalker even if I hated the game? Given its eye-popping packaging, probably.

Hell, the cover art alone is worth the price of admission in my humble opinion, though its cart label (above) certainly is no slouch.

The Landstalker Mega Drive manual is a looker, too, as the photos included in this post hopefully prove.

Even the back of this Japanese game's box, below, is easy on the eyes.

Speaking of which, I love that someone at developer Climax named Landstalker's isometric engine. (That would be "Diamond Shaped Dimension System," or "DDS 520," for the curious.) Sadly, I don't believe they ever used it for another Mega Drive or Genesis game.

Are any of you Landstalker fans? If so, what are your favorite aspects of this 16-bit RPG?

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Nice Package! (Shining Force II, Mega Drive)

Although I've been a fan of Sega's 16-bit console--the Genesis in North America, and the Mega Drive elsewhere--since it first came out in the late 1980s, I only began "collecting" for it last year.

Even then, I've only got three Japanese Mega Drive games at the moment: the first Shining Force, the sequel highlighted here and the similarly styled ARPG, Landstalker.

All three titles have me wondering why it took me so long to start buying Mega Drive cartridges. After all, as the photos in this post hopefully show, as well as those found in the "Nice Package!" write-up I published about the original Shining Force, Sega produced some stellar packaging for its Japanese 16-bit games.

Now, I can't quite say I prefer Shining Force II's box art, above, to that of the first Shining Force, but I still like the former a lot. Maybe if Shining Force II's main illustration took up the entirety of its case's cover I'd find it more appealing?

I also prefer Shining Force's side spine to that of its sequel.

Both games' cartridges sport rather snazzy labels, thankfully, with Shining Force II's on display in the snapshot below.



One area where the Japanese Shining Force II ably competes with the SRPG series' initial entry is its instruction manual.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the section of the Shining Force II manual that showcases that game's colorful cast of characters.

The back side of Shining Force II's Japanese case probably is the least impressive part of its packaging, but that's OK. Most of the rest of it is nice enough that it's easy enough to overlook.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Nice Package! (Shining Force, Mega Drive)

Although I began the 16-bit generation favoring NEC's and Nintendo's machines over Sega's, that's not how I ended it.

OK, so I wouldn't say the Genesis (or Mega Drive, depending on your preferences) wound up being my favorite of that era's consoles, but I'd definitely say I grew to love it every bit as much as the Super Nintendo and TurboGrafx-16 (or Super Famicom and PC Engine, respectively).

This game is hugely responsible for that change of heart. I distinctly remember reading everything I could about its Japanese release in 1992 and swooning over practically every screenshot and piece of concept art I came across along the way.

That's understandable, right? I mean, Yoshitaka Tamaki's character designs, showcased in the Japanese box art seen above, are beyond fabulous, in my humble opinion.

Shining Force's in-game graphics are just as wonderful, of course. Also wonderful: the title's epic soundtrack, tactical gameplay and likable cast of characters.

In fact, I found all of those things so appealing then, and still find them so appealing now, that I wouldn't hesitate to call Shining Force one of my all-time favorite games.

I also wouldn't hesitate to call Shining Force's Japanese packaging an all-time favorite.

After all, not only is its outer box a stunner, but so is its cartridge. (Seriously, I've always loved the sexy, rounded carts that contained Japanese Mega Drive games.)

Unsurprisingly, its manual is well worth ogling, too, as the photo above should prove.

Don't worry, I'll try to scan and share the entirety of Shining Force's instruction booklet in an upcoming installment of my "Manual Stimulation" series.

In the meantime, please enjoy the snapshots shared throughout this post. (I especially like this last one, by the way. There's just something about its layout that rubs me the right way.)

Also, if you, too, are a big fan of the original Shining Force--or any of this long-running series' releases--let me and others know in the comments section below.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Also in honor of Sega's 56th anniversary, let's rank and review (some of) its game consoles

As you should have heard by now (I mentioned it in my very last post, after all), last Friday marked the 56th anniversary of Sega's existence as a maker of video games.

In the write-up mentioned above, I discussed five of my favorite titles that were produced for Sega's most popular game systems. Today, I'm discussing--ranking, actually--the systems themselves.

Note: I'm leaving out the company's first two consoles, the SG-1000 and the SG-1000 II, because I have very little (if any) experience with them.



5. Master System--Full disclosure: of all the Sega systems I've spent time with over the years, this is the one I've played the least. Still, I know it well enough to comment on it. Anyway, why am I saying this is my least favorite of the company's many hardware releases? A big reason is that, in my opinion, the Master System--known as the Mark III in Japan--has the least appealing games catalog of all the products included in this post. Some gems were made for it, no question, but they are fewer in number than the gems made for the Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast or even Game Gear, if you ask me. Also, although technically the Master System was more capable than its main competitor (the Famicom or NES), it mattered little in the face of the aforementioned library and the console's poorly designed controller.



4. Saturn--I'm sure some folks will raise a judgmental eyebrow in response to my decision to place the much-loved Saturn behind the much-maligned Game Gear. Don't get me wrong, I adore the Saturn with every ounce of my being. That said, at the moment my list of beloved Game Gear titles is longer than my corresponding list of Saturn titles. Also, this system is a bit of a mess internally. Its two-dimensional, sprite-based games are among the best to see the light of day, but its three-dimensional, polygon-filled ones are among the 32-bit generation's worst. Thankfully, the physical product, and that includes the Japanese controller, is a sight to behold--though I wouldn't have minded if Sega had shaved some fat off of it over time.



3. Game Gear--The same could be said of Sega's first handheld, of course. Still, the Game Gear's general design (ignoring its girth) is stellar--or it was for its time. It looks like something that plays video games--and I say that in the most positive way, of course. Although I love sleek-looking systems, I also like ones that appear toylike. In fact, the red, blue and (especially) yellow Game Gears that hit store shelves in various regions back in the day are among my most-coveted pieces of gaming hardware. Anyway, aside from all of the above, a few of this portable's other thumbs-up-worthy attributes are its Master System-esque chipset and its shockingly adroit software selection.



2. Dreamcast--It's fitting, I think, that the Sega's best designed system was its last. And when I say "best designed" I'm talking both about its look and shape as well as its internal architecture. Consider that the Dreamcast was an absolute beast in terms of power when it was released, yet it also was one of the smallest consoles ever to hit the streets. Admittedly, the thing can be loud as hell while playing a game, but that's a small price to pay in order to experience titles like Space Channel 5, Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi and ChuChu Rocket! The only criticisms I can aim at this particular piece of hardware are that its library of games is smaller than that of pretty much every other Sega system and that it was discontinued after spending less than three years on the market.



1. Genesis--I've got to be honest: I wasn't all that keen on Sega's entry in the 16-bit console wars when it was first unveiled. At the time, I found the SNES and TurboGrafx-16 (or PC Engine and Super Famicom) far more interesting. What prompted me to change my mind about this hunk of plastic and its lineup of boxy black cartridges? The 1993 North American release of the original Shining Force. It so enraptured me that I regularly used my allowance to rent both it and a Sega CDX from the local grocery store. Later carts and CDs--Shining Force II, Lunar: The Silver Star and Gunstar Heroes among them--similarly attracted my attention. Combine the Genesis' eye-popping games catalog with its iconic hardware designs and gorgeous-yet-functional six-button controller and it should be easy to see why it's my favorite of all of Sega's wonderful systems.

How do you feel about this Tokyo-based company's numerous hardware offerings? Share your thoughts, opinions and memories in the comments section below.

In honor of the company's 56th anniversary, here are five of my favorite Sega games

Although the company that eventually became Sega first opened its doors 76 years ago (as Standard Games), it didn't change its moniker to the one millions of people around the world know and love until 20 years later--as of yesterday, in fact.

Which means, of course, the renowned game developer and publisher--not to mention former console maker--just celebrated the 56th anniversary of its existence.

To honor that fact, I thought I'd whip up a blog post about some of my all-time favorite Sega titles. Strangely, perhaps, a couple of them weren't actually made by any of the brilliant people employed by the Tokyo-based firm. They were playable on a wide range of its hardware, though, and that's enough for me.

Final Bubble Bobble (Master System)--How could I include a simple home port of Taito's classic, dino-starring quarter-muncher on a list such as this? Well, for starters, this is no simple port. Consider that the Famicom (or NES, if you wish) port of Bubble Bobble, as grand as it is, is a pale imitation of the original in the audio and visual departments. This Sega-published iteration is far truer to the arcade version in both areas. Plus, its box sports an absolutely top-shelf cover illustration. Add to that the fact that Final Bubble Bobble's controls are just as butter-smooth as those found in its counterparts and you've got a cartridge that more than deserves this celebratory nod.

Shining Force (Genesis)--I know many will say this strategy RPG's sequels are better in almost every imaginable way, but the original is the only one that's earned a piece of precious real estate within my heart. As for why that is, one reason is it served as my introduction to the genre. Another is that, even today, its focused, streamlined nature feels like a breath of fresh air when compared to the bulk of the more convoluted SRPGs that came before it and, especially, followed in its footsteps. Finally, there's Yoshitaka Tamaki's gorgeous character and enemy designs and illustrations. I mean it when I say they defined Japanese gaming for me as a youngster.

Madou Monogatari I (Game Gear)--Sega may not have developed this adorable dungeon-crawler (the folks at Compile took care of that task), but the company most certainly published it. Even if that weren't the case, though, I'd include the initial Madou Monogatari game in this write-up simply because it's so damn cute. And fun. And a welcome reprieve for someone--like me--who usually finds this sort of thing mind-numbingly boring. (I prefer the first Madou Monogatari to the other three that were ported to the Game Gear, by the way, due to the fact that--no joke--the sprite of its protagonist, Arle, looks less wonky here than it does in the series' later titles.)

Saturn Bomberman (Saturn)--Singling out one Bomberman title as being better than the others isn't a simple task, as nearly all of the games published between, say, the first PC Engine offering and this 1996 release are well worth playing, in my opinion. Still, there's no question in my mind Saturn Bomberman is the best of the bunch. Its graphics are the most colorful and detailed of all the series' sprite-based entries, and its stages sprawl in a surprisingly satisfying manner. Admittedly, its soundtrack is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I'd hardly describe it as bad. At any rate, this is one of those titles that can suck up a big chunk of your free time without you realizing it--a sure sign of a great game, wouldn't you agree?

Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast)--I've played and loved a lot of Sega-made Dreamcast games over the years, but I come back to this one more than any other. Which is understandable, as its star, the candy-coifed Ulala, is quite a charmer, and its soundtrack is stuffed with tunes that basically force you to tap your foot (if not wiggle your tush). I guess some might say its Simon-esque gameplay is on the simplistic side, but you won't hear me complaining about that aspect of Space Channel 5. After all, I'd rather play a straightforward music game (Nintendo's Rhythm Tengoku is another perfect example) than an overly complicated one any day.

Now that I've had my say on this matter, what are your favorite games that were made by Sega, published by Sega or simply created for Sega hardware?

Boy, do these game tunes bring back memories...

How's this for a silly, game-related tidbit that's likely to shock at least a few of you: back when I was a junior or senior in high school, I was completely obsessed with the Saturn version of Sega's Daytona USA.

I suggest that may surprise some of you because I'm hardly known for my love of racing games. In fact, the only examples of the genre I've ever given much attention here are F-Zero and Super Mario Kart, if memory serves. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)

At any rate, I became more than a bit smitten with Daytona USA after picking it up on a whim during my days as a Saturn owner.

That game's slick, exhilarating gameplay obviously had a little something to do with my aforementioned infatuation, but there were other instigators, too--with its energetic, effervescent soundtrack being a particularly noteworthy case in point.



I bring up all of this because I've had one of Daytona USA's songs ("Sky High," listen to it by clicking on the video above) stuck in my head for the last few days.

Also, reminiscing about the Daytona USA period of my life--and the hold a number of its ditties had on me at that time--prompted me to think about some of the other "game tunes" from my youth that left similar marks on my memory.

For example, there's the "Map Theme" from Yoshi's Island:



I remember humming that one on the regular while I obsessively worked my way through the pastel-filled platformer that has since become one of my all-time favorite games.

Bandai Namco's Ray Gigant (Vita) is giving me serious Tengai Makyou and Shining Force vibes, and that's a very good thing

Call me crazy for saying so, if you must, but after watching the following trailer for Bandai Namco's upcoming Vita RPG, Ray Gigant, for the first time a few minutes ago, I can't help but wonder if its developers weren't at least a smidge inspired by Sega's Shining Force titles or Hudson's Tengai Makyou series.



What do you think? Can you see where I'm coming from after checking out the trailer for yourself, or do you consider it a stretch of the imagination? Regardless, what are your early impressions of this late-July (in Japan only, for now) release?

From the back of my boyhood closet, part one

Those of you who read this post from yesterday afternoon will know that I recently discovered a bunch of game-related treasures while digging through my boyhood closet. (And if you haven't read the aforementioned post? Uh, maybe you should read it now.)

Well, one of those finds--I'll write about five more in the coming weeks--is the Sega Genesis 2 system (and controller) seen in the following photo.

Neither item is in perfect condition, but both are in good, working order, so you know what that means: I now can play that copy of Pier Solar I bought early last year. (Read about that situation here.)

I don't expect Pier Solar to be the only game that gets stuck into my recently-rediscovered Genesis 2 this year, of course; I also expect to slide copies of Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force, Shining Force II and Landstalker into the system's cartridge slot at some point or other.

Before I purchase those titles, though, I'm going to have to get one of those slick, six-button controllers, since I've never been much of a fan of the cheap, chunky, three-button ones.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts