Bart vs the Space Mutants was released for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive back in 1992 and is basically just a graphically updated version of the NES game released the year before, which was in fact the first Simpsons game ever created for home consoles.The basic story for the game is that aliens have invaded Springfield and it is up to you (Bart) to prevent them from building a "super weapon" by spraying things purple, collecting hats and stealing balloons… Yeah… you heard me right…

"Don't Have a Cow, Man!"

At least the graphics are okay for an early 16 bit game. The first level in particular is a colourful representation of the streets of Springfield, with plenty of references to keep Simpsons fans happy. One example I really enjoyed was the ability to prank call Moe's Tavern. It took longer to work out than necessary and with no hints or direction at all, but it was a fun discovery.I'm afraid that's about all I have nice to say about the game though. One of the main things that makes or breaks a platformer are its controls and unfortunately Bart vs the Space Mutants is an absolute mess. Both run and jump are assigned to the same button and a long jump requires you to hold down two buttons at the same time. The inventory management is also a bit of a pain to use, often requiring you to pause the game to switch items.

"Ay Caramba!"

Another issue I have with this game is the punishing difficulty. I don't mind games being tough and I do enjoy a challenge, but this just feels either lazy or broken. The collision detection feels off in places, especially in later levels and to be honest, I've only ever made it far in this game by using save states on an emulator. You only get five lives, no continues and it only takes two hits to kill you, so... good luck! If you're looking for an enjoyable Simpsons game, then I'm sorry to say that Bart vs the Space Mutants isn't it. This game is tough and barely worth the effort and patience required for even some of the biggest Simpsons fans out there. Every few years I seem to forget just how bad it is and play it again. Somehow there's some nostalgia here that keeps me coming back, but it doesn't take too long to get frustrated with it.

"Eat My Shorts!"

I've heard that the NES version of this game is slightly better, although still pretty horrible, so if you want to experience some Simpsons fun, I recommend you play the original Arcade game! Now that really was awesome! There's also a couple of fun titles on the PS2 like "Hit and Run" and "Road Rage", so check those out if you get a chance.As for me, that's all for this video, so please like and subscribe if you haven't already. If you've played this game before, feel free to share your opinions and experiences in the comments below. I love hearing what you guys think of the games I review and as always; thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IUiOWXYIvIIn the early days of 8-bit home consoles, Sega tried to establish their own mascot to rival Nintendo's Super Mario. What they came up with Alex Kidd; a franchise that had a few ups and downs over the years, but is often fondly remembered as the "built-in game" of most people's Master Systems.Alex Kidd in Miracle World was a great title, but after that there were some arguably poor decisions made in trying to put him into different games - something I may save for another video at a later date. For now, we're going to look back at his first and only outing of the 16-bit era; Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle for the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

The game's plot is nothing special - a common trait of many side-scrolling adventure titles from around that time. You play as Alex who lives on Aires; a planet which is controlled by his brother King Igul. After hearing a rumor that his long-lost father, King Thor, is still alive on Planet Paperock, he travels there to look for him.The world stages are varied, offering a number of collectables and hidden areas. Whilst this game won't blow anyone away with its graphics, the simplicity does carry a certain level of charm, which is enough to make it pleasing to look at.Enemies can be defeated using Alex's punches and kicks, as well as a range of power ups and vehicles. I used to love the motorcycle, pedicopter and pogo stick, as they offered a nice change of pace during each level.

Janken!

One element that I feel does affect this title's popularity is the use of Janken - which is essentially a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors". For various items and boss battles, skill is pushed aside for a system that relies purely on chance, resulting in you succeeding... or dying and having to restart the entire level again.The game can be challenging enough due to the fact that Alex Kidd dies in one hit and starts the game with fairly limited continues, but this frustrating and cheap tactic makes completing it either fairly straightforward or nearly impossible depending on your luck.It's a real shame as Janken didn't frustrate me too much as a kid. Games generally were a lot less forgiving in the past as a way to increase longevity. The old me would just shrug his shoulders and start again, but nowadays I find it harder to overlook it - and I think other gamers would do too. Especially newcomers who aren't armed with a good measure of nostalgia.As far as controls go, it's not quite perfect there either. They are responsive and the collision detection is fair, but the surfaces seem to act as if they are coated in a slippery surface, which can make some platforming action a little tricky.

Alex Kidd in Today's World

Due to this game's rather weak reception and the development of their much cooler mascot Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega haven't released another Alex Kidd title since. He hasn't been forgotten though, as there has been the odd reference and cameo appearance in games such as Shenmue and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.Whether or not you should pick up this game is a tough question to answer. For me personally, it holds quite a lot of nostalgic value. Me and my sister had a great deal of fun playing this when we were little. As a collector, Alex Kidd does have some importance in Sega's history, so for that reason I would pick it up if you haven't already. As a gamer experiencing this fresh though, it can be challenging and fun, but some of the key elements that rely purely on chance… well… they may grind a little bit. So I think the decision will depend on your patience and accepting the Janken gameplay flaw going into it.

Your Experiences

Have you ever played this game? If so, please let me know what you think of the game and your experiences in the comments below.If you enjoyed the video, please click on the like button and subscribe... and as always; thanks for watching!

Bart vs the Space Mutants was released for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive back in 1992 and is basically just a graphically updated version of the NES game released the year before, which was in fact the first Simpsons game ever created for home consoles.The basic story for the game is that aliens have invaded Springfield and it is up to you (Bart) to prevent them from building a "super weapon" by spraying things purple, collecting hats and stealing balloons… Yeah… you heard me right… At least the graphics are okay for an early 16 bit game. The first level in particular is a colourful representation of the streets of Springfield, with plenty of references to keep Simpsons fans happy. One example I really enjoyed was the ability to prank call Moe's Tavern. It took longer to work out than necessary and with no hints or direction at all, but it was a fun discovery.I'm afraid that's about all I have nice to say about the game though. One of the main things that makes or breaks a platformer are its controls and unfortunately Bart vs the Space Mutants is an absolute mess. Both run and jump are assigned to the same button and a long jump requires you to hold down two buttons at the same time. The inventory management is also a bit of a pain to use, often requiring you to pause the game to switch items.Another issue I have with this game is the punishing difficulty. I don't mind games being tough and I do enjoy a challenge, but this just feels either lazy or broken. The collision detection feels off in places, especially in later levels and to be honest, I've only ever made it far in this game by using save states on an emulator. You only get five lives, no continues and it only takes two hits to kill you, so... good luck! If you're looking for an enjoyable Simpsons game, then I'm sorry to say that Bart vs the Space Mutants isn't it. This game is tough and barely worth the effort and patience required for even some of the biggest Simpsons fans out there. Every few years I seem to forget just how bad it is and play it again. Somehow there's some nostalgia here that keeps me coming back, but it doesn't take too long to get frustrated with it.I've heard that the NES version of this game is slightly better, although still pretty horrible, so if you want to experience some Simpsons fun, I recommend you play the original Arcade game! Now that really was awesome! There's also a couple of fun titles on the PS2 like "Hit and Run" and "Road Rage", so check those out if you get a chance.As for me, that's all for this video, so please like and subscribe if you haven't already. If you've played this game before, feel free to share your opinions and experiences in the comments below. I love hearing what you guys think of the games I review and as always; thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0tNC-Tno1E

"It Starts…"

In 1994 Disney released The Lion King, a classic animated movie that is said to be loosely based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet. There have been numerous theories and controversies surrounding the film, such as the idea that it was actually an unofficial copy or remake of Kimba the White Lion; a Japanese manga from the 1950's that was made into an anime in the 60's. The similarities are quite striking, but were not here to talk about the movie, oh no, we're here to talk about the video game!Lion King was developed by Virgin Interactive for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive. Unlike Aladdin that came out the year before, they also got to release it on the Super Nintendo, as Capcom no longer had the exclusivity of developing Disney games for Nintendo consoles. This means that both versions are essentially the same, apart from a few minor visual and audio differences. The games aren't completely different this time around!

"Everything the Light Touches Is Our Kingdom"

The first thing that hits you is the detail and quality of the game. The music, graphics and animation are absolutely superb. Each level and character feels authentic to the movie, thanks mostly to the digicel technology that was used in the previous Aladdin Mega Drive game. The second thing that hits you though is the frustrating difficulty. The first level is an absolute breeze to play through, but then we begin to hit a few problems…The main issue here is the collision detection when making jumps. Often it can be hard to tell the exact point to latch on to. You make a jump that looks and feels right only to fall to your death. There's also two parts in the second level where you have to time ducking and jumps on the back on an Ostrich. The double jump is hard to get the timing right, even with the help of arrows warning you. The next time you ride it removes these helpful arrows completely and it can be a REAL test of your patience. Most people seem to get stuck here or during the stampede level.

"...But What About That Shadowy Place?"

I strongly recommend you stick with this though as after a couple of playthroughs you do begin to get a feel for the games rhythm. Once you are more familiar with the level layouts, jumping distances and boss battle patterns, it becomes far less frustrating to play through.When you start the game you are limited to jumps and a fairly ineffective roar which only really works on stunning smaller creatures. Later on you get to play as the adult Simba which opens up a new variety of moves where you can swipe and throw enemies. These can be a bit tricky to pull off at times, so make sure you're using a 6 button pad to simplify things. You also take less damage from enemies as an adult which makes the game feel easier. This is another issue with the game; whereby the difficulty is a little inconsistent. Aladdin went from easy to hard, whereas this game takes a huge dip in the middle. I'd have preferred a much smoother and linear transition.

"Hakuna Matata"

Throughout the game there are also a few bonus levels where you get to play as Timon and Pumba. These are short and sweet, and break up the gameplay nicely. I really loved these characters in the film, so it was nice to get a chance to play as them and earn some much needed extra lives.I'm not sure if this review comes across as fairly negative, as it isn't intended to be. The game can be difficult and frustrating, but it is worth the effort in my opinion. Overall, the Lion King is a great platformer and a shining example of how movie licensed games can be made. The graphics and music really capture the essence of the film and I can be quite happy just listening to all the midi renditions of the popular classic songs from the original soundtrack.

"I Laugh in the Face of Danger!"

The final stage is hard, especially without any checkpoints, but this is how games used to be; challenging! Even when I used to play this game as a kid and totally sucked, I still got a lot of enjoyment from it and have kept coming back for more over the years. As Rafiki once said; "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it."If you're a fan of the movie or enjoy a challenge I'd say you need this game in your collection. Well, even if you're not I think it's still worth purchasing. The Lion King is a game that's full of charm and would still be good in it's own right, even without the movie license and characters. I would have to say that it's one of the best Disney games on the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis.Did you play this as a kid or have fond memories of the game? Let me know in the comments below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqEE_nbRqAgIn 1993 Steven Spielberg brought his vision of Michael Crichton's novel to the silver screen with ground-breaking computer generated imagery and superbly detailed animatronics from the talents of Stan Winston and his team; famous for many special effects used in films such as The Terminator, Predator and Aliens.Now I can remember my Dad taking me to see this movie at the local cinema and that moment when the dinosaurs first appeared on screen. I was completely blown away!Over the next few months, Jurassic Park the video game was released on the NES, Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive or Genesis. They were quite different, but in this review we're going to focus on the Sega version.

"Welcome to Jurassic Park"

In Jurassic Park you can choose to play as a Velociraptor or Dr Grant. These offer two different perspectives and play styles which add a nice bit of variety to the game.Playing as Dr Grant is the default option if you just jump in and makes for quite a well paced adventure, where you must use your wits and weapons to defeat dinosaurs and escape the park. This is the most challenging character to play as, but there is a password system in place to help you continue if you die.Opting for the Raptor is a little more action-orientated. Your goal is still to escape the park, but the approach to each level is slightly different and you must kill enemies using your teeth and claws. It's a little shorter than Dr Grant's adventure as it misses out the boat vehicle level, but it's lengthy enough and an enjoyable addition.The graphics in Jurassic Park are pretty impressive. You can see the developers were inspired by the film and tried to achieve an authentic look and experience, considering the technical constraints of the 16-bit system. Games based on movies often feel like quick and lazy cash-ins, but you can see here that a lot of effort went in to the animation and environments. I was really quite surprised to see the detail of the intro sequences, the variation in Dr Grant's movement, traversing the environment and how good the dinosaurs actually looked.The sound is great too and whilst the theme tune from John Williams is unfortunately missing, the audio does a good job with plenty of ambient sound effects which help immerse you in the gameplay.It's a shame that so many movie tie-ins don't appear to put this much effort in their games. Jurassic Park is an excellent example of paying tribute to the film and offering players a way to experience and enjoy that world and setting for themselves.

The only real downside is that the game is a bit on the short side. This is compensated a little by the presence of two characters to play as, but overall it won't take you too long to finish once you've mastered the weapons, level layouts and the initially slightly tricky learning curve. I died quite a few times in the beginning, but with a little patience and persistence I did get a handle on the gameplay mechanics and found this a very enjoyable adventure.This game would have been worth renting back when it was released and hard to recommend a purchase. However, as it can be found quite cheap now I would say pick it up if you find it for a reasonable price. If you really enjoyed Jurassic Park and like playing adventure games, you'll want this in your Sega Mega Drive or Genesis collection. It can be a little tricky at first and fairly short, but if you're a fan of the film or dinosaurs in general, this may be a game you'll want to play through a few times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx4cUoQ0QDAThe Sega Mega Drive or Genesis is one of my all time favourite games consoles.When I look around the web and talk to people on social sites like Twitter, it seems like the Super Nintendo is the most popular for collecting. It makes a lot of sense as Nintendo made and still produce some of the best quality and most enjoyable games of all time.The thing I love about collecting for the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis though is that it's often much cheaper than Nintendo, plus the condition of items is so much better. This is because they used plastic cases, instead of cardboard.So, if you're into the Sega Mega Drive, starting collecting or just interested what it has to offer, I decided to make a list which highlights what I think are the top 5 games to start your Mega Drive or Genesis collection.There's a lot of incredible games out there, but I've decided to focus mainly on the games which are fairly easy to find in good condition for a reasonable price. I've tried to avoid some of the rarer classics as I'll save that for another video/article. This is purely to help get you started.

5: Mega Games 2

Starting at number 5 I've chosen Mega Games 2. There were a few "Mega Games" compilations on the system, but this one is my favourite. You get Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage all on one cartridge. This is probably the best value for money so it's an ideal place to start. There are 2 others with some good games, plus a 6-in-1 version which is a little harder to find. I recommend you look for it, but go for this if you can't find it.Revenge of Shinobi is a classic game where you get to play as a Ninja. It's quite hard with some really clever platforming and awesome graphics. Great if you enjoy a challenge. You also get to fight against Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk in later levels!Streets of Rage and Golden Axe are side-scrolling beat-em-ups. These have aged a bit, but are still fun to play with a friend. Streets of Rage has some fantastic music and they both have a lot of replay value.

4: Lemmings

At number 4 we have Lemmings, which is one of the most addictive puzzle games I have ever played. It's full of character and even has a 2 player mode. The aim is to help your Lemmings reach the goal by assigning abilities to different characters and avoiding various traps. The learning curve is well paced and I'm really surprised how cheap this often sells for. I reviewed it about a month ago and consider it an essential part of anyone's Mega Drive collection.

3: Aladdin

At number 3 we have Aladdin which is a fantastic example of what the Mega Drive can do. It was actually a tough choice between this and Comix Zone, but this won me over thanks to it being a bit more accessible and cheaper to get hold of. The graphics and animation are really impressive and it does a great job of looking like the film! The levels are enjoyable, but it does get quite hard later on. I still enjoy playing it a lot regardless and it's one of my favourite games on the system.

2: Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers

At number 2 we have Super Street Fighter 2: The New Challengers. Okay, so this one can get a little expensive at times, so feel free to go for Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition if you're trying to keep to a lower budget. They're both great games, but this is my favourite version thanks to the additional characters.I'm a big fan of Mortal Kombat and fighting games in general, but I feel Street Fighter has a much wider appeal. I've had several gaming nights where this has been more popular than any other multiplayer game. The art style, characterisation, smooth movement and tight controls make this fun for almost anyone!Chances are you're probably already well aware of what Street Fighter is and it's likely you've played this game before… a LOT of times. But, if you're just starting your Mega Drive or Genesis collection, you NEED this game!

1: Sonic 3

How can you own a Mega Drive and NOT have a Sonic game? At number 1 I've chosen Sonic 3. There's a lot of debate about which Sonic game is the best and to be honest I've not come to my own conclusion on this yet. The reason I picked this particular game is because it has great graphics and music, save states, a bit more narrative than the other games, plus if you get Sonic & Knuckles later on, this is the best option to expand on with new levels and routes. So you get a bit more for your money. To be honest though you can't go wrong with Sonic 1, 2 or 3. Just avoid Sonic 3D or Sonic Spinball for now.

Honourable Mentions

Doing a list like this is always hard and there's quite a few games that almost made it. I feel that I have to mention Road Rash 2, Desert Strike, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Comix Zone and Streets of Rage 2 as honourable mentions.If you have any great recommendations or would like to know of any awesome games for the Mega Drive or Genesis, please let me know in the comments below.