Tag Archives: Master System

Sega Ages, Switch

Sega Ages Phantasy Star – Classic Dungeon Crawling, Modern Conveniences

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Although at the time of writing a lot of people are super-excited for the impending PC release of Phantasy Star Online 2, the series as a whole isn’t anywhere near as well-known as the heavy-hitting classics of the RPG genre.

Indeed,Β Phantasy StarΒ as a whole has always been something of a niche interest series — perhaps in part due to the majority of its “golden age” being released on platforms that were not typically renowned for their role-playing games.

The first game in particular is very interesting to return to, especially when you consider its original release date as a contemporary of the firstΒ Final Fantasy and the second Dragon Quest. And theΒ Sega AgesΒ version for Nintendo Switch is the definitive way to experience it — so let’s explore that now!

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Cover Games, Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinning Off

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This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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So we’ve already talked about Sonic’s main 16-bit games on the Mega Drive, as well as his 8-bit adventures on the Game Gear and Master System.

But we have a few more games to explore from this early era before we start exploring the blue blur’s oft-maligned jump into 3D space, and those are the numerous spin-offs that appeared to complement the “mainline” platformer experiences.

Turns out there’s quite a few of them. And they’re pretty much all really cool! Let’s take a closer look.

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Cover Games, Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog: Little Brothers

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This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
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It’s fair to say that, for many people, Sonic’s “golden age” was the 16-bit era that encompassed his first four(ish) games.

What doesn’t tend to get talked about quite so much is the fact that, around the same time, there were some fantastic 8-bit releases in the series on Sega’s Master System console and ill-fated Game Gear handheld.

So, well, let’s talk about that, shall we?

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Essentials, Puzzlers

Puzzler Essentials: Baku Baku Animal

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Today’s puzzle game of choice is one that there is, unfortunately, no real easy way to get hold of legally any more, but it holds extremely fond memories for me regardless.

The game in question is Sega’sΒ Baku Baku Animal,Β which I first came into contact with back in 1997 when I was doing my Year 10 work experience atΒ PC Zone magazine in London. This was an era when Sega was just starting to experiment with PC ports of its popular arcade games, with varying results.

Baku Baku AnimalΒ was one of this initial batch and, like the CD-ROM version ofΒ Puzzle BobbleΒ (featuring full Redbook audio!),Β which had also come into the office around the same time, managed to bring much of the office to a standstill for quite a while, even dragging the most hardcoreΒ Quake-heads away from their daily deathmatches for a while.

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Cover Games, Ys

Ys: Introduction and History

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TheΒ YsΒ series is one of the longest running franchises in gaming — yet it’s not nearly as well known as theΒ Final FantasiesΒ andΒ ZeldasΒ of this world.

ThisΒ is a shame, because not only does YsΒ represent developer Falcom arguably at its finest, the series as a whole hasΒ also been key in the development of the action RPG as a subgenre.

It also holds the dubious honour of being one of the most remade series of all time, refreshing and rewriting its various installments long before the concept of the HD remake ever reared its head.

Let’s take a look at the main series’ various releases in chronological order and see how it’s developed.

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