Classic Home Video Games, 1989 1990
ALSO BY BRETT WEISS Classic Home Video Games, 1985 1988: A Complete Reference Guide (McFarland, 2009) Classic Home Video Games, 1972 1984: A Complete Reference Guide (McFarland, 2007)
Classic Home Video Games, 1989 1990 A Complete Guide to Sega Genesis, Neo Geo and TurboGrafx-16 Games BRETT WEISS Foreword by LEONARD HERMAN McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
To everyone who was writing about classic video games before it was cool to write about classic video games: Al Backiel, Chris Cavanaugh, Jeff Cooper, Tim Duarte, Earl Green, John Hardie, Leonard Herman, Sean Kelly, Rob O Hara, Kevin Oleniacz, Russ Perry, Jr., Joe Santulli, and Scott Stilphen. This includes Electronic Games magazine co-founders Bill Kunkel, Arnie Katz, and Joyce Worley, who paved the way for video game journalism and who were writing about classic games long before they were considered classics. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Weiss, Brett, 1967 Classic home video games, 1989 1990 : a complete guide to Sega Genesis, Neo Geo and Turbografx-16 games / Brett Weiss ; foreword by Leonard Herman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-4172-3 illustrated case binding : 50# alkaline paper 1. Video games History. I. Title. GV1469.3.W473 2011 794.8 dc23 2011022307 British Library cataloguing data are available 2011 Brett Weiss. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover images 2011 Digital Vision and Shutterstock Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to my lovable, huggable bride, Charis Weiss, who is always helping others, including me (I still haven t figured out the whole computer thing); and to our awesome kids, Ryan and Katie, who make me proud to be a father every single day. Special thanks also to my parents, Perry and Jo Weiss, who gave me a roof over my head, three squares, and the freedom and flexibility to form my own thoughts and opinions. I d also like to give a shout out to Chris Cavanaugh, Joe Cody, Jeff Cooper, Michael Davis, Jessie Hardesty, Leonard Herman, Shawn Paul Jones, David Kaelin, Rick Kelsey, Bill Kunkel, Thomas Sansone, Joe Santulli, Brandon Staggs, Rebekah Staggs, Drew Stone, Darren Sulfridge, and Michael Thomasson, who have given me an assist at conventions, online, or in some other capacity. And, for technical support, special thanks to Dana Coffey and Kevin Burnett. v
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii Foreword by Leonard Herman 1 Preface 3 Neo Geo............................... 7 Sega Genesis........................... 36 TurboGrafx-16........................ 251 Appendix I. Neo Geo CD 285 Appendix II. Sega CD 288 Appendix III. Sega 32X 293 Appendix IV. TurboGrafx-CD 295 Appendix V. Atari Lynx 297 Appendix VI. Nintendo Game Boy 299 Glossary 311 Bibliography 323 Index 325 vii
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FOREWORD by Leonard Herman Back in the prehistoric era of 1981, I came up with a great idea for a book. At the time there were so many games available for the Atari 2600 that it was difficult to tell them apart. How about if there was a book that described every game that was available for the system? And so was born ABC to the VCS: A Directory of Software for the Atari 2600. It took me about a year to compile all of the titles that were available and write descriptions of them. And then I separated the book into chapters consisting of similar games. It was a great book, but there was one problem with it. By the time I completed it, new games were available. And so I set out to include them also, knowing full well that new ones would always be available. And with the knowledge that there was a lag time in publishing, the time between when a book was completed and when it was actually published, I knew full well that that book would be obsolete by its release. However, what I didn t count on was the little crisis known as the Great Video Game Crash of 1983. And although some companies survived and managed to keep releasing games for the Atari 2600, interest in the activity had waned, and I knew that there would no longer be any interest in the book. Fortunately, within 10 years interest in the 2600 and other early consoles began to stir 1 again. I finally published ABC to the VCS in 1995, due to popular demand, and then released an updated second edition in 2005 that included the dozens of new games that homebrewers had released for the 2600 in the intervening years. In all, the book contained over 700 summaries. I thought it was a monumental feat. But then, in 2007, Brett Weiss came along and wrote a similar book. Well, on the surface it appeared to be similar because Brett also summarized every game for the 2600. But he also included reviews of the games, something that I purposely stayed away from. And if that wasn t enough, he didn t stop with the 2600. Brett included reviews for every game for every American console that had been sold between 1972 and 1984! But just because one book was complete, it didn t mean Brett s job was done. In 2009 he released another edition of Classic Home Video Games, which contained summaries and reviews for all of the systems that came out between 1985 and 1988. Sure, it was only three systems, but one of them was the NES, which has a catalog of over 700 games. The systems included in the second book marked the end of a video gaming era. A new era began in Japan on October 30, 1987, when the Japanese manufacturer NEC released its PC- Engine game console. The PC- Engine, which
2 FOREWORD BY LEONARD HERMAN was released in America as the TurboGrafx-16, was hyped as a 16-bit system, although in actuality only its graphics processor was 16-bits. However, Sega released its Genesis not long afterwards, and it was a true 16-bit machine. And after playing second fiddle to Nintendo for years, Sega finally dominated the market. But Nintendo didn t sit on its laurels. And although its 16-bit Super NES came out a year after the Genesis, it eventually caught up with the other s popularity. (Author s note the Super Nintendo will be fully covered in the fourth volume of the Classic Home Video Games series). A new generation of video game consoles meant a whole new slew of games that needed to be summarized and reviewed. And in this book you ll find games that influenced the industry like no others before it. CD storage meant larger games and full- motion video. Sixteen- bit processing meant faster games and more realistic graphics. And along with this combination was a recipe for gaming violence unlike anything ever seen before. Two games mentioned in this book, Mortal Kombat and Night Trap, directly led to the game rating system used today. If this is the first Classic Home Video Games book that you ve picked up, welcome to the club! Sit back and enjoy the ride, and then rush out and purchase the two previous volumes. If you re a regular, write to Brett (brettw 105@sbcglobal.net) and let him know how much you enjoyed his work. But don t expect a response real soon. He s probably already busy with the next book in the series! Leonard Herman became hooked on video games after he played Pong at a local bowling alley in 1972. He later became interested in home video games when he purchased his Atari VCS in 1978 and eventually accumulated a collection of nearly 600 cartridges. His book Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Home Videogames was the first serious history of the video gaming industry and named the #2 video game book of all time by Game Informer magazine.
PREFACE For me, 1989 was an exciting year. After slogging away for four years at a job I hated, delivering copier machines via a bobtail truck, I took the plunge and decided to do something I would enjoy, even if it meant working for less pay. I applied for and quickly got a job with Lone Star Comics, a retail chain in the Dal - las Fort Worth area. Ironically, I was hired not because I was a comic book expert (which I was), but because of my mad truck- driving skills. My job with Lone Star, in addition to waiting on customers and sorting and bagging back issue comics, was to commandeer the company van, delivering new comics to various Lone Star locations. (My position at Lone Star led to management and then to the ownership of two comic book stores, but that s a story for another day). During my first year with Lone Star, three significant (mind- blowing, to be exact) pop culture events transpired: the release of the Tim Burton Batman film, which kicked off the second wave of Batmania (the first was during the Adam West era); the debut of The Simpsons television series, which changed the face of prime time television forever; and the beginning of the next generation of video game systems with the unveiling of three new consoles: the Sega Genesis, Neo Geo, and TurboGrafx-16 (not to mention the Game Boy and Atari Lynx handheld units). While I didn t get the chance to play a Neo Geo or a TurboGrafx-16 until later, I picked up a Genesis shortly after the system hit store shelves. From a sheer practical standpoint, I didn t need a Genesis my Atari 2600, ColecoVision, NES, and other systems were keeping me plenty busy but I simply had to have one, thanks to the stunning, arcade- like intrigue of such next- gen titles as Altered Beast, Ghouls n Ghosts, and Golden Axe, and to the oohs and aahs I kept hearing from Lone Star customers and from some of my friends who had already bought (or at least played) a Genesis. I was certainly pleased with my Genesis purchase and was doubly so with the arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), which at the time was the fastest, most dynamic platformer I had ever seen or played. The game helped make the Genesis the cool system to own. Not only that, the spunky protagonist a blue, spiky- haired hedgehog with an attitude quickly became Sega s far- famed mascot, giving the company something Nintendo already had for years with Mario. Over time, I would add many more games to my Genesis collection, including such favorites as Captain America and the Avengers, Gunstar Heroes, Mega Bomberman, Ms. Pac- Man, Road Rash, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Space Invaders 91, Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, and Sunset Riders. Since hundreds of games were released for the system, the bulk of the book you hold in your hands covers the Sega Genesis. However, I paid no short shrift to the Neo Geo, with its 3
4 PREFACE plethora of bold, brash, bombastic fighting games, or to the TurboGrafx-16, with its wonderful array of quirky titles and hardcore shooters (to this day, Galaga 90 is one of my all- time favorite games). Regardless of which console from 1989 is your favorite, you ll find plenty of information and opinions here on all of that system s cartridges. Released on the heels of Classic Home Video Games, 1972 1984 (2007) and Classic Home Video Games, 1985 1988 (2009), Classic Home Video Games, 1989 1990 is the third book in an ongoing series. It was fun to write, but also very difficult, partly because the games of the era are typically longer and more involved than the titles covered in the first two books. When I talk to gamers at conventions and online, I m sometimes asked why I write reference books instead of tips and tricks guides or historical accounts of the industry. The answers are simple. The Internet and the Digital Press guides have all the tips and tricks anyone needs, and Steven L. Kent (with The Ultimate History of Video Games) and Leonard Herman (with Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames) have the market cornered on history books and do a much better job of it than I ever could. My books contain a lot of video game history, of course, what with the retro theme and all, but the emphasis is on the individual games themselves. Each entry for the Genesis, Neo Geo, and TurboGrafx-16 includes data, description, gameplay elements, and, in most cases, critical evaluation. (The games for the console add- ons, such as the Sega CD and TurboGrafx- CD, are included in appendices near the back of the book. The handheld Atari Lynx and original Game Boy are also covered in the appendices). Another reason I write reference books is that I m obsessed with them. It started when I was a kid during the mid 1970s and I would pore over my tattered paperback copy of the Guinness Book of World Records for hours, utterly transfixed by the world s tallest man, the world s longest fingernails, the world s heaviest twins, and the woman with the world s thinnest waist. (In the years since, I ve read countless other reference books to pieces, including Leonard Herman s ABC to the VCS: A Directory of Software for the Atari 2600, which helped pave the way for my Classic Home Video Games series). In addition to the Guinness Book of World Records, the 1970s was a decade filled with entertainments that were enticing to my impressionable young mind. These included The Land of the Lost, Star Wars, Star Trek reruns, the rock band KISS, Marvel and DC comic books, and, of course, video games. When such monolithic testaments to man s ingenuity as Midway s Gun Fight (1975) and Atari s Breakout (1976) began rubbing elbows with my beloved pinball machines at the local arcades, I quickly became hooked. To help pay for my newfound obsession, I would pop games on pinball machines I had mastered and sell the resultant credits two for a quarter. Shortly after I discovered video games in the arcades, various cousins and friends started receiving as Christmas presents these incredible machines that would hook up to their television sets to play games. I wouldn t get my own game system (a ColecoVision) until 1982, but I was a frequent fixture at the homes of anyone I knew who owned Pong (or any number of Pong clones), an Atari VCS, a Fairchild Channel F system, or an Odyssey 2 (back in those days, no one I knew had two systems). So, since I grew up playing video games and reading reference books, and since I m a writer by trade, it only made sense to write reference books about video games. The research I did for Classic Home Video Games, 1989 1990 was exhaustive and exhausting. An addition to playing (and replaying) an insane number of games, many of which I had to borrow from friends or purchase on ebay or in various gaming stores throughout Texas and Oklahoma, I spent hundreds of hours going over every little detail from character names to production dates to game developers in order to assure that the information was as accurate as humanly possible. Also, I tried to measure the positives and negatives of each game objectively. I took the era in which the games where made into consideration, of course, but if a game hadn t held up particularly well over time, I usually mentioned it. While graphics and sounds play
PREFACE 5 important roles, my bottom- line consideration each time I evaluate a game is how much fun it is to play. The one drawback to researching and writing the Classic Home Video Games series is that it takes away from time I could be playing modern consoles, such as my son s Xbox 360 or our family s Nintendo Wii. Regardless, I largely prefer 2D twitch- gaming and scrolling action over 3D exploration and first- person shooting anyway, so I m content to mine the past while others pave the way forward. For some of you, this will be your second or third book to purchase in the Classic Home Video Games series, and I can t tell you how much I appreciate it. For others, this will be your first experience with my work, and I want to thank you as well. I certainly hope you enjoy what you read.
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