Can Sega-16 Beat the Last of the Genesis, Sega CD, & 32X Libraries in 2021?

[knicksfan89]

I've beaten Tecmo Super NBA Basketball on Twitch and, uh... the game is very bad! Good music, though.

I tried to make it work as the Orlando Magics initially (because Shaq), but I absolutely couldn't.
So, after some hours, I restarted as the Chicago Bulls, and only started simulating games in the season once I was in a good spot to qualify for the playoffs and it was obvious that I was going to make it at that pace. That's how I approach these long-winded season modes.

Eventually I got into the playoffs and, simulating once or twice, the game actually simulated more than 1 game at once and I almost risked it all as that put me in the worst spot possible, where if I had lost I would've had to restart the season from scratch again... Because the game autosaves and has no save/load feature. So there was one such clutch occasion where I won by 1 point.

On a related note, selecting the preseason option, and I mean even just pressing C on "Preseason" on the main menu by accident, will absolutely wipe your entire season savefile. lol.

Here's a link to the last stream of it.
It was played on default settings, although putting the game speed to "fast" seemed ultrajanky as it only increases the running speed, and not the pass/shoot/anything-else-speed really. I also did not change team mid-season, so the only way this could get more "legit" is if you played all 90+ games manually.

Cheers

its an ok game with great music but not up to the nba live standard IMO

[Chimaera]

EPSN Speed World is done! Didn't take too long! Pretty boring ending, just an animation and then straight back to the menu, not even credits. I'm going to work on a full site review for this one too, but I'll just say it's pretty mediocre.

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[Seingalt]

After many hours, I finally beat PTO! It was a hard-fought victory for the Allies, but I took all the bases in the Pacific and learned a lot in the process. Working on a review for the site now.

EPSN Speed World is done! Didn't take too long! Pretty boring ending, just an animation and then straight back to the menu, not even credits. I'm going to work on a full site review for this one too, but I'll just say it's pretty mediocre.

Repped!
Thanks for your help with the remaining Genesis games! Glad you're back!
I'm looking forward to your reviews, especially PTO.

[Chimaera]

That's so kind! I just happened to get back into the Genesis after some time away and wanted to help knock down some of these long-standing games that hadn't been played.

[goldenband]

EPSN Speed World is done! Didn't take too long! Pretty boring ending, just an animation and then straight back to the menu, not even credits. I'm going to work on a full site review for this one too, but I'll just say it's pretty mediocre.

This is a terrific development! Thanks so much, Chimaera. Out of curiosity, did you use a 6-button controller or a 3-button? When I messed around with ESPN Speed World a couple years ago, I found it was crashing for me with a 6-button unless I held down MODE.

[BubsyFan1]

I beat Dragon's Lair on the Sega CD. My phone was charging in my room, and by the time I came back out to take a picture of the credits, they were already over and the opening cinematic was playing again (I had to fist pump before I went to grab my phone though, of course). This game actually had a lot of satisfying moments in it - I really liked being able to react and figure out the proper course of action - there are definitely moments where you can do this and don't have to result to trial and error. Unfortunately, some of the things you had to do seemed kind of random, the timing structures weren't always consistent, and it seemed like I had to repeatedly press the correct command to consistently pass certain sections. It felt like I was just button mashing on the last scene, and it ended up working out (this didn't work any other time - maybe I was just locked in -shrug-). Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this game despite unlimited continues, but I'm glad I went through it in a similar way I'm glad I went through Time Gal.

[goldenband]

^Awesome! That's one of those games that was hanging around for longer than I'd have expected, but of course it demands someone willing to bang their head against the wall of its obtuseness. Thanks for being that person.

[goldenband]

I neglected to note that Chimaera's win over ESPN Speed World means that all the racing games for Genesis/Mega Drive are done! That means it's probably time for an updated list of the remaining Genesis and Mega Drive games by genre, and with PAL games in green. As you can see, we're getting close on a bunch of sports genres, but American football is still a big hurdle -- and the sport the rest of the world calls football has a few left too:

Non-sports:

Strategy/simulation:

Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny

Puzzle:

Lemmings 2: The Tribes
Man Overboard! S.S. Lucifer
Shove It! ...The Warehouse Game

Action/adventure:

Technoclash

Other action:

SeaQuest DSV
Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Run-'n'-gun games:

Blaster Master 2

Shmups:

Gunship (Goati beat this on Easy, but Hard is necessary for true ending & full game content)

FPS:

Cyber-Cop

Light gun games/rail shooters:

Body Count

Sports

Baseball:

Frank Thomas ‘Big Hurt’ Baseball
Tecmo Super Baseball

Basketball:

NCAA Final Four Basketball

Football:

College Football USA '96
ESPN Sunday Night NFL
John Madden Football ’93 CE
NFL '98
NFL Quarterback Club '96
Unnecessary Roughness '95

Hockey:

ESPN National Hockey Night
Tecmo Super Hockey

Olympics:

Winter Challenge

Soccer:

AWS Pro Moves Soccer
Dino Dini's Soccer
International Superstar Soccer Deluxe

Other:

International Rugby
Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker

[BubsyFan1]

^Awesome! That's one of those games that was hanging around for longer than I'd have expected, but of course it demands someone willing to bang their head against the wall of its obtuseness. Thanks for being that person.

Right? Pretty soon after I beat Time Gal, I thought I would try to knock this one off the list. It was getting pretty frustrating, then I moved, then I didn't feel like trying it again until recently. I was kind of surprised that no one else beat it in that time.

[RvR]

Great wins Chimaera and Bubsy!

Cool breakdown of the list. I suspect the final 10 games will have at least 3 NFL games.

[Goati]

its an ok game with great music but not up to the nba live standard IMO

I think it's a garbled mess, the original is probably not that great to begin with but the megadrive port is a blur of sprites that all look the same on top of the court floor that is kinda the same colors.
Actions taken automatically leading into random stuff and terrible backcourt annoyances are just extra on top of a game which is barely a basketball title with no animations to speak with or substance to its controls or even actions.
The music does own tho, dean morrell rules, I like the music in Boxing: Legends of the Ring a lot.


But this post is actually to say that I will undertake the Gunship Hard mode playthrough this month, under heavy bribes from some guy.
Cheers!

[knicksfan89]

I think it's a garbled mess, the original is probably not that great to begin with but the megadrive port is a blur of sprites that all look the same on top of the court floor that is kinda the same colors.
Actions taken automatically leading into random stuff and terrible backcourt annoyances are just extra on top of a game which is barely a basketball title with no animations to speak with or substance to its controls or even actions.
The music does own tho, dean morrell rules, I like the music in Boxing: Legends of the Ring a lot.


But this post is actually to say that I will undertake the Gunship Hard mode playthrough this month, under heavy bribes from some guy.
Cheers!

good luck mate

[Goati]

Gunship on hard mode is clear.
All in all the game is very cool: unique gunship port with a totally different gameplay mode, pal exclusive, Matt Furniss music, awesome controls... It kinda fall shorts with how ridiculous the side-scrolling section helicopters are and how they just ram you, which very quickly leads to death.
Still very cool game.

What helps:
- farming at the top of the screen: slowly stay at the top and move until you find a spawn in front of you, then stop and keep shooting and let the drops come to you. Game is hardly playable on hard without this, especially until you figure out the next point
- get extra credits: in the 2d sections, the first autoscrolling phase where helicopters are spawning from both sides, if you destroy all or most of the helis here, you will get an extra credit upon stage clear. This is very unclear so it took me forever to realize. Ram into the helis yourself to make sure you get this, you don't take as much damage as you do in the second phase.
- finding safe spots/angles: the hardest mission type, for example, is Escort Convoy. An easier way to do this one is just fly right above the convoy, heli spawn/angles won't threaten you. This is just an example with various applications.

You have 6 missions for each of the 4 theatres (instead of 4, I think), where you actually have to find the hidden missions through Reconnaissance missions, which are 3d-section-only segments with no missiles and more fuel.
Moving the cursor on the gunship itself, in the map screen, will give you a clue as to where to look.. I didn't find this out until it was too late, spending like one hour finding the very last mission!

I did this over 2 streams/sittings, but if I were to do it all at once I would easily rack up over a million points.
On hard you do get a cool ending sequence other than the credits.

the clear:
part 1
part 2

Merry Xmas,
Goati_

[goldenband]

It's a Christmas miracle!! Thanks, Goati. Not only does this complete a long-standing unbeaten game, and move the PAL list into the 90+% bracket, it also keeps a streak alive of at least one new PAL game getting beaten per year.

Six PAL exclusives left to clear: can we get 'em done by the end of 2022?

[Lagi]

Hello everyone,

I know it's my first post but I read a lot of messages in this forum and it's an honor to write here.

65 games referred at the beginning of this topic have been released in the PAL area. I know PAL games are slower than the NTSC versions but would there be a chance that some of them could be better if they are 50 Hz optimized. If such a list exists, I would like to know the games which are better in PAL than in their NTSC version.

I read the three topics which talk about it on Mega Drive, with this one which presents the lists in the best possible way to visualize the PAL exclusive games :

https://www.sega-16.com/forum/showth...ptimised-Games

https://www.sega-16.com/forum/showth...with-NTSC-60Hz

https://www.sega-16.com/forum/showth...ive-exclusives


I now know goldenband had already started this work. Some games are PAL optimized in 50 Hz and I've been wondering which games could be better than the NTSC counterparts focusing on resolution. Is this the case of the games only released in Europe ? When you try the 65 PAL Roms of games in 60 Hz, would they boot with an EverDrive or would there be rolling screens or glitches or unplayable games ? Has someone tried to boot the 65 ROMs just to see the reaction of the PAL Roms in 60 Hz on a Genesis or a Mega Drive (European or Japanese) ?

I've read in some French articles and forums that the Streets of Rage series for instance has better resolution (320x240) with more surface you can see at the bottom of the picture : http://www.segakore.fr/index.php/200...e#.YcfzBFnjLb0

If this is true, it would mean that some other games could use the 320x240 resolution in PAL consoles and countries. What would you think ? Sluggish in movement but best in graphics with more to show on the screen (I know, even if it is squeezed most of the time with the bars up and down the screen...). What about if the game is really PAL optimized ?

It would mean that the 65 exclusive games on PAL territories should be played only in 50 Hz if they are programmed in regards of PAL areas.

My way of thinking is as it follows. I may be wrong of course. I ask for your opinion. Only PAL exclusive games are better played in 50 Hz (the 65 games you mentioned in your list), American and Japanese games are better played in 60 Hz. But is it really the case ? To what extent is the game 60 Hzish if a PAL exclusive game has no bugs, glitches or anything else in this frequency ? Isn't the right way to play PAL exclusive games "only" in 50 Hz ?

Some PAL games have been using 320x240 resolution. Isn't it better to play these games in 50 Hz (like Super Skidmarks for example or Street Racer to keep the pace of the game the right way in 4 players multiplayer for the latter) ?

I'm playing the PAL version of Beyond Oasis in French right now (La Légende de Thor). One of the games which doen't work in 60 Hz. The screen is rolling when you boot in 60 Hz. This game is famous to have an increased resolution in PAL. So, this game should be better in PAL than in NTSC, right, especially when, like you mentioned, it has been translated in French and other European languages in their own way. Ecco : the Tides of Time has the same way of development : only playable in 50 Hz, several languages, and even in a French and English collector edition (I discovered that recently).

In the same time as you're finishing the 65 PAL games, could you try them in 50 Hz and 60 Hz if you have a modded Mega Drive or Genesis, just to see if the game is not too fast in 60 Hz (music and gameplay) ?

If you already have done the list with the "superior" 50 Hz list of games which use the 320x240 resolution or are optimized correctly for 50 Hz, I'm really interested. That's actually one of my research subjects at this time.

Thanks a lot if you accept to help me by answering my questions as specifically as you can.