Aa Harimanada

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Megasoft

Aa Harimanada is a game in a genre that, honestly, I’m surprised that there aren’t more games in - sumo wrestling. But this isn’t just a simple simulation of the sport. It’s got some Street Fighter-ish aspects to it, like attacks that are so dangerous that body parts of the offensive wrestler burst into flames before the attack. I’ve also never seen a sumo wrestler with a 30-foot vertical leap, but the hefty athletes in this game are able to do just that. When the fight begins, it seems pretty basic…you can attack with chops, slaps, and kicks to whittle down your opponent’s health, or you can grab ahold of them and attempt to launch them from the sumo ring. Despite the simple concept, there’s minor strategy here to prevent the game from feeling too repetitive as you battle your way through 69 fights in the game’s story mode. From my experience playing through, often if an opponent is smaller than you, then grabbing ahold of them and throwing them around may work better than trying to land a hit. If they jump around, jump in the air with them and try to throw them in mid-air. If the opponent is larger than you, avoid grapples and stick with strikes and strategic blocking. If you’re facing a similar-sized opponent, then use a mixture of all tactics. Aa Harimanada isn’t the greatest game I’ve ever played, but ever since I first discovered it over a decade ago, I’ve always enjoyed it. If an arcade-style sumo wrestling game sounds interesting to you, give it a try. You may wind up enjoying it, too.

Review added: 01/27/2022

AAAHH!!! Real Monsters

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Realtime Associates

AAAHH!!! Real Monsters, like most Nickelodeon-themed games, falls short of being passable. And that’s a shame because it was a show I enjoyed as a youngster, so I was hoping that this would be an enjoyable experience. AAAHH!!! Real Monsters seems to be an attempt to recreate the magic of the Lost Vikings, with the player able to switch between the monsters as you play, and with each monster having their own, specific skills...the problem is that most of the switching often seems pretty pointless. In fact, everything gets extremely repetitive as you continue on through the game, which may have been avoided had the switching dynamic felt like it fit in more organically. Instead, the repetitive nature of the gameplay makes it feel like you have to switch between everyone just for the sake of switching between everyone. This is a good example of a game that should have had a shorter length so that the levels found within could have had better quality. Instead, Realtime Associates went with quantity over quality. As a result, you may find yourself getting bored after making your way a little bit into the game. AAAHH!!! Real Monsters would have probably had a more accurate name if it was called YAAAWWN!!! Real Letdown…Sorry, I’ll show myself out.

Review added: 10/22/2020

Action 52

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Active Enterprises

Years ago, on my old website, I tortured myself by reviewing all 52 games of the NES edition of Action 52. I managed to get out of that with my sanity (mostly) intact. Then, I went through and reviewed them all over again for this website…because I'm a fool. And since today is April Fool's Day, I can't think of a better time to torture myself by reviewing the Genesis version of Action 52. One would hope that in the two years since the NES Action 52 had released that Active Enterprises would have learned from their mistakes. At first glance, it looks like they may have. There is a much larger variety of game types compared to the NES version, and most games don't look as bad, visually, as you'd expect. Unfortunately, Active Enterprises still didn't learn how to make games fun. Out of all fifty-two games included on this cart, I only considered one of them to be passable…and that one was a clone of Pong. So, basically, what you have in Action 52 is fifty-two games with varying levels of bad. Some are worse than others, but none of them are going to be anything that any sane human being would want to play. Anyway, the Genesis edition of Action 52 may look nicer, and the types of game found within may be more varied, but it's still an awful, awful compilation. I'd stay away from this…it's just fifty-two ways to disappoint you.

Review added: 04/01/2022

The Addams Family

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Ocean

The Addams Family on Sega Genesis looks nicer, but plays worse and just feels like an overall inferior game to the Nintendo Entertainment System game of the same name. Aside from the fact that you control Gomez Addams, the games are actually very different. Where the NES version of The Addams Family, released in 1992, felt like an adventure game with some platforming aspects, the Genesis version of The Addams Family, released in 1994, feels more like a pure platformer. And despite what one might think a difficulty level might be coming from a movie-based game, likely aimed towards more casual players, The Addams Family can actually very difficult at times. I do appreciate the difficulty of the game, and some of the platforming can be fun…but I’ll repeat what I mentioned at the beginning – I just simply feel like it wasn’t as good as what we got a year earlier on the NES. It’s still okay if you like platformers, or the Addams Family, but most folks could probably pass on this.

Review added: 10/22/2020

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Also known as: Alex Kidd: Tenkuu Majou (Japan), Alex Kidd Cheongong Maseong (South Korea)

Developer: Sega

Alex Kidd games seem to either be really good or really bad…and unfortunately, Alex Kidd’s 16-bit debut falls into the bad category. I’d kind of like to know what went through the developers’ minds when they made this game. “You know…the controls are bad, the levels are bland, and this is not up to par with the better Alex Kidd games. How are we going to fix this?” Then a genius on the development team raised their hand and said, “Rock, paper, scissors…for money.” Thus, instead of correcting any issues with the gameplay, the game instead then revolved around collecting money by killing animals, destroying cars, etc…then betting that money on games of rock, paper, scissors like some horrible gambling addict. Parents were worried about games like Mortal Kombat when Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle was right under their noses. Teaching children to kill and destroy to supplement their gambling addiction… and we should’ve seen it coming. Look at Alex Kidd on the box art of the game – those are eyes without a soul behind them. They should have renamed this Alex Troubledyoungmann because that ain’t how no kidd is supposed to act. This ain’t how no game is supposed to play, neither.

Review added: 07/07/2019

Alien Storm

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Sega

If you're looking at Alien Storm and trying to figure out what exactly the gameplay is like, then imagine Golden Axe, but with robots and aliens instead of dwarves and goblins. Sounds good, right? Well, what if I told you that while the gameplay is similar to Golden Axe, it lacks any of the personality that made Golden Axe such a beloved game? Unfortunately, that's where Alien Storm struggles. While it's technically a decent brawler in the gameplay department, like Golden Axe, Alien Storm lacks pretty heavily in the personality department, unfortunately. That lack of personality made this game a bit of a chore to get through for me…by the end, I was just hoping that the credits would be rolling soon so I wouldn’t have to play anymore. There wasn’t really much going on in the game to make me want to see it all through to the end. Anyway, if you're into brawlers, and don't mind a game having a bland personality, as long as it plays decently, then Alien Storm may still be worth checking out. If you're looking for some personality to push you through the repetitive gameplay of your typical brawler, then you can probably pass on this game.

Review added: 12/09/2022

Altered Beast

Also known as: Juuouki (Japan), Suwanggi (South Korea)

Developer: Sega

I've always loved the concept of Altered Beast, but I've never really been a fan of the execution. Over the years, I've come to appreciate it more...but even with that appreciation, let's face it, the controls do feel a little off and the brawling gets very repetitive very quickly...But, then you transform into one of several beasts and the feeling of repetition feels a little delayed…and then it comes back again. Basically, in Altered Beast, you are slowly walking from the left, and moving towards the right. An assortment of enemies will attack you, and your goal is to avoid them or attack back. Defeating certain enemies give you power-ups that turn you into a burly fellow, and then eventually into a different beast depending on the level that you’re brawling in. Unfortunately, the controls aren’t the best, nor is the hit detection, so it tends to take a while to get used to how everything works before you start getting good at it. Complaints aside, though, this was a near-perfect arcade port of the game and it proved how powerful the Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive was for the time. While I've never been a huge fan of Altered Beast, there's no question that it was a system-seller for the Genesis in the beginning…literally. It was the pack-in game that you received when you purchased the console. As a result, while it definitely has its faults, Altered Beast is still a game that is remembered fondly by folks today.

Review added: 07/05/2019

Atomic Robo-Kid

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Micronics

Atomic Robo-Kid isn't exactly a must-play video game, but I have to admit, I've always had a soft spot for this little guy. Essentially, Atomic Robo-Kid plays like a scrolling shooter but without the scrolling bit - the screen only advances when you do. Otherwise, much of the gameplay is the same as your average scrolling shooter - multiple enemies to shoot, multiple weapons to shoot those enemies with, and a boss fight at the end of each level to overcome. The story of Atomic Robo-Kid is that you're an android…and apparently a child soldier, by the name you've got…and you were created to save humanity. Why save humanity? Well, because a bunch of radiation fell upon the folks on a space colony. It killed most folks, and transformed almost everyone that survived into mutants. A group of space beings called "governors" then appeared to rule over the remaining human population…which is why the androids were made. And that's why they made an android with the look and the size of a child instead of one that looked like a menacing grizzly bear or something. Anyway, blasting through each level, your ultimate goal is to rescue EVE, another android that looks like a grown human woman, and can apparently give birth to healthy human babies. The odd story is an entertaining addition to Atomic Robo-Kid…but, if all of the logic loopholes make your head hurt, just pop the game in and start blowing stuff up. That'll make you feel better. Atomic Robo-Kid isn't a must-play game by any means, but I think if you're a fan of scrolling shooters, and want to play something a little different, you may find some enjoyment blowing stuff up as Atomic Robo-Kid.

Review added: 04/20/2025