MEGADRIVE GAMES REVIEWS - G - : eBay Guides

Hello again, welcome to my A to Z games review of over 250 of the best (most popular) Megadrive titles. I will give a brief description of each game and rate it from 1 to 100%, accordingly games will be judged against other consoles from their era. As a bonus I will say if a game is region protected or not (i.e if a game is region protected, it will only play on a machine from the same country, or will need a converter) I will also say if the game is known by another name, or if it is availible for other consoles.

GAIARES (1 PLAYER) 80% (region free)

Pronounced 'Guy-a-rez' this is one of the more collectable side scrolling shooters for the MD, never released in the UK, it is only avalible in US or JAP formats, so if you have a UK machine, but don't have a convertor, then the US version will work just fine. The first thing you notice about Gaiares is the excellent music and great graphics, theres a real screen depth to the backgrounds, and a good use of color on most levels. In Gaiares you use a pod (a la R-Type) to absorb the fire power of your enemies, up to 2 or 3 levels, your ships speed can be selected at the push of the 'C' button (although I always left it on max). There is no noticable slow down even when the screen is full of enemies and bullets, and the enemy AI is spot on, not too hard, and not too dumb. Some of the bosses look amazing, and fill the screen, and require you to work out attack patterns, as in most shooters. The difficulty level is quite high from the start, and when the screen is full it's easy to die, beacause you cant see clearly where you are, but the toe tapping tunes, and great presentation have you coming back for more. Gaiares is not a cheap game to buy, and it's not as good as say, 'Empire Of Steel' for my money, but if you can find it cheap enough, it's a worthy purchase. (only on Megadrive).

GARFIELD CAUGHT IN THE ACT (1 PLAYER) 69% (region free) 

Garfield is an action platformer with decent production values, the graphics and audio are excellent for the most part, the animations are masterfully done, and humorous at times. The levels are based on TV generes, with the first being the horror level, aptly named, count slobula, to fit in with the zany garfeild theme. Garfield can jump, swing a close range punch, and throw projectiles that he collects, drinking coffee makes him invincible for a short time. But garfield is tough, and you are often taking unavoidable cheap shots, and finding it hard to know what is interactive scenery, and what is not, the first boss is Odie dressed as Dracula, and is feindishly hard to beat, even for seasoned players, on easy mode. Considering that the target audience is kids, I don't think many will put up with the cheap hits and frustrations for long, before reaching for the power switch. (only on Megadrive). 

GARGOYLES (1 PLAYER) 66% (region protected)

Gargoyles is the game of a little known disney cartoon from the mid nineties. An action platformer with a lot going for it. You can't tell from the very dark photo, but the graphics are quite good, with excellent animation, especially on the main sprite. The controls and move set are impressive, as your gargoyle can scale walls, jump, climb, flap his wings for extra height, claw, grab, roll and smash through weak floors. The game itself is not hard per se, but the level design has you scratching your head quite a bit, often not knowing what to do next to progress to the next part of the level, and it's here that the problems lie. Were it not for the confusion the games level design, it would have a nice flow, and being stuck on a ledge is no fun at all. Gargoyles was released in the US only as far as I know, and there aren't that many about, so finding one might be difficult. (only on Megadrive). 

GHOULS 'N GHOSTS A.K.A. DAI MAKAI MURA  (1 PLAYER) 89% (region free)

Isn't it funny that most of the best games on the Megadrive came quite early in the megadrives life. Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a arcade platformer conversion by the legendary Capcom, and pretty close it is too. You play Arthur the knight, and you must run, jump and throw projectiles, in order to defeat all manner of nasties to recue your fair maiden. Athur can collect different kinds of weapons from treasure chests, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, when Arthur has collected Gold armour, he can charge his weapon up, to unleash a barrage of pain that usually flies around the screen, be careful though, some chests are booby trapped. When Arthur gets hit, he will loose his armour first (running around in his boxers) then his life. The graphics and music are as good as you'll get on the Megadrive, and there are tons of sweet touches in the game, and some great boss battles, but be warned, the difficulty level is high, but I would advise you to persevere and not to be tempted to cheat, as you will miss out on the essence of the game. Even if you own the excellent SNES game (Super Ghouls n Ghosts) this still deserves a place in your Megadrive collection. (also on Master System, PC Engine, Saturn, Playstation, SNES plus others).

GLEYLANCER (1 PLAYER) 79% (region free)

Gleylancer is a side scrolling shooter of notable fame in MD circles, it commands a pricey admission fee on ebay, so is it worth it? First of all Gleylancer is technically one of the better shooters on the MD, and it's kinda funny because all the in game text is in perfect english, but a break down in Japanese to engrish has caused the game to be known as Gleylancer, when it was supposed to be Greylancer! Much like the Mitsubishi Starion was meant to be Stallion! But I digress, The game features some great high speed paralax scrolling, and sprite warping, an abundance of weapon options and configurations, and most notably an excellent synthesised sound track. You can even choose to have the drones and shoot functions on auto, leaving you to simply steer your craft. But it's not all roses, Gleylancer is titanium tough, even on the easiest settings, this is mostly due to the excellent use of parallax scrolling, sprite warping and the amount of debris and background going on, making it very hard to pick incoming bullets out, and resulting in not a few .. where the f**k did that come from! moments. The enemy isn't hard per se, theres just too much going on sometimes to visualize them. A flaw? maybe .. a spoiler? for sure. Maybe my shooter eyeballs aren't up to mustard, but if you are playing games for enjoyment and not collecting just for the rarity, then I would point you in the direction of something equally good and more accessable like Hellfire. (only on Megadrive).   

GOLDEN AXE (2 PLAYERS) 86% (region free)

Golden Axe comes from the same people that brought you, Revenge Of Shinobi, Streets Of Rage, and Alien storm, and it shows. Almost Arcade perfect, with great graphics and sound (strangely the MCD version has the music on CD but is exactly the same). Golden Axe is a side scrolling slash 'em up, beat 'em up. You get a choice of three characters, barbarian, amazon and dwarf, and each has their own style of fighting and magic powers (collected by booting the crap out of gnomes and used like a smart bomb). You have the ability to ride on various beasts and utilise their attacks, from tail whips to fire breathing. The attacks, though basic, are satisfying to use, you are able to clear the sreen of baddies quickly by using cliffs and ledges. Bosses and mini boss challenges pop up frequently keeping the game from too much monotony, and the difficulty level is just right for button mashers and thinking fighters alike. Golden Axe has aged a bit in terms of depth and style, but no more than Streets Of Rage. (also on Master System, Mega CD, Amiga, Atari ST, PCE-CD, Xbox360 and virtual consoles).

GRANADA A.K.A. GRANADA X (1 PLAYER) 80% (region free)

Granada X is a top down tank shooter, like any shooter power up's can be collected, but unlike most shooters of the day, Granada X features a massive health bar, loads of lives, and a strafe button, and it needs it, because the enemies chase you around a maze like playing field, and constantly spawn from the mini factory's, until you can get close enough to destroy them, your tank also has a super cannon, handy for destroying the larger enemies and spawn points, but largely ineffective against the end of level bosses, which are pretty mean. The graphics are good to start with, but get better as you progress, the second level is aboard a giant stealth bomber, and you can see the clouds rushing beneath you, but Granada X does suffer some slowdown in the busiest of sections, and it is easy to get snagged on scenery, and very hard to gun whilst on the run. The music adds to the frantic nature of the gameplay, and when your tank is hit, it oddly lets out a little scream, like R2-D2 might. The levels can be quite large, but there is a handy map in the bottom right corner to tell you you next destination. (only on Megadrive).

GRINDSTORMER V-FIVE (1 PLAYER) 70% (region free) 

Grindstormer, is an old school top down shooter that tries to be 2 games in one. In Grindstormer mode, You collect your weapon power ups, and have smart bombs at your disposal, whereas in V-Five mode, you have no smart bomb, and you must collect icons, in order to spend on power up's as you play, for instance, collecting and using one icon, will allow your ship to speed up, where as if you wait till you have collected three icons, pressing the button will give you the search weapon. But the game is hard enough anyway, and choosing the easiest setting will only allow you to play a level at a time. The graphics aren't poor, they're just generic, and it looks as though there's something not qite right about them. The game does suffer slow down in busy situations, and the audio is average to bad, with forgettable jingles, and annoying weapon noises. Grindstormer is not, two games in one, the V-Five element just adds extra difficulty, to an already tough game. (only on Megadrive). 

GUNSTAR HEROES (2 PLAYERS) 90% (region protected)

Gunstar Heroes is an action, platforming, shooter tour de force, from the now legendary Treasure. The action never lets up, your hero, as well as multi directional firing and jumping also has a throw attack when enemies get too close, your weapon can be upgraded and selected on the go for devastating fire power. The level designs are a joy to play with excellent set pieces and mini bosses to break up the action and change the pace. The graphics are colorful and well drawn, with plenty of sprite rotating and scaling effects. The bosses are a joy to behold and often comical, from a giant piece of broccoli, to a transforming robot, that takes on different shapes. The audio is very good, with fast energy tunes that match the chaotic action. But alas, Gunstar Heroes is quite a short game with only four levels, but I don't care, the game is still good enough to pick up for a quick blast every now and then. This game needs to be in your Megadrive collection, and if you don't want to pay the high price it sometimes fetches, then buy the 'Classics Collection' cartridge, as it's included there. (Also on Xbox360 and virtual consoles). 

GYNOUG  A.K.A. WINGS OF WOR (1 PLAYER) 89% (region free)

Gynoug is a great side scrolling shooter. What Gynoug lacks in outright graphical detail during the main part of the levels, it more than makes up in ease of play, scary and enormous bosses, and great use of paralax scrolling, and warping sprite effects. You play as a winged angel, in what looks like the depths of hell. You can power up your fire power as well as collecting scrolls for magic, all though these act as a limited amount of secondary fire most of the time. The action is thick and fast, with most levels using a layered screen tilt to give the impression that the world is moving, one level has you plunging into the ocean half way, to confront a sunken ghostly pirate ship, that reveals the hull as the living face of what I would describe as a zombie, or corpse, very creepy and fills most of the screen. The music deserves a special mention, it's a fantastic cross between Ghouls n Ghosts and Castlevania, truly epic! The controls are spot on, and the difficulty level is just right. (only on Megadrive). 

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