Ghouls 'N Ghosts

Also known as: Daemagyecheon (South Korea), Dai Makai-Mura (Japan)

Developer: Sega

Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a well done, but difficult platformer. Even on practice difficulty, with the challenge lowered from the arcade game, this game can be quite difficult. With the inability to change directions in mid-air, you need to be positive that the jump your making is the right move to do. Likewise, with some of the tricky enemies you encounter (mainly the gargoyles) you need to be as precise as possible with your attacks or you'll find yourself down to your heart-ladened drawers in a hurry. That said, those that stick around long enough to master this game are rewarded with beautiful levels, interesting design, and some fun bosses to encounter. Plus, the perverted women out there can live their dream of playing through a game controlling a bearded man in nothing but his underwear…Now that I think about it, that's not really a game…that's kinda how society works, isn't it? Behind every great man, there's a woman telling him to get off his lazy hiney and take out the trash. if you like difficult platformers, Ghouls N Ghosts is good fun and it's one of those games that makes you feel like you accomplished something when you're finally able to see the ending sequence…especially after seeing a hero defeat a demon king wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

Review added: 04/20/2025

Golden Axe

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Sega

I adore the Golden Axe series. The games in this franchise are among my very favorite brawlers that I've ever played. The first Golden Axe is a strong start to the series, with three playable characters, plenty of brawling, various creatures that you can ride and attack with, magic spells, AND the opportunity to kick annoying gnome-like things by a camp fire while catchy music plays in the background. What other game is it not only acceptable, but encouraged to pick on people smaller than you? It’s okay to pick on them. They have gray beards and wear dunce caps. They’re probably 50-years old and still in the 2nd grade. They deserve what they get. Anyway, some consider the original Golden Axe to be the best of the side-scrolling brawler games in the series. I, personally, prefer Return of Death Adder in the arcades a little bit more, but I can definitely see the argument that the original is the best. If you like side-scrolling brawlers but would like to play one in a fantasy setting with dragons and such, then Golden Axe will likely be right up your alley.

Review added: 07/21/2019

Golden Axe II

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Sega

I like the original Golden Axe quite a bit. Golden Axe II is basically the exact same game, but with a few minor tweaks to improve on the original formula. While that sounds like I'm knocking it, I'm not. The original Golden Axe was a blast, so some gameplay tweaks to make it better and graphical tweaks to make it prettier are very much welcome. Unfortunately, this is also mostly the same cast of characters as before...enemies and playable characters alike. There are a few exceptions, of course, but a tad more new content would have been welcome. For that reason, I believe, this game is a little polarizing where some people enjoy it and other people really dislike it. I don't think it's that bad, honestly, and the actual gameplay is fun enough to allow me to look past the other flaws. Without very much change over the original game, though, it’s hard for me to justify giving it a higher score. If you wanted some completely new visuals and heavily improved gameplay, I could definitely understand why you'd be disappointed with the second Golden Axe. If you’re content to continue pummeling folks like the first game with very little new content, then you’ll likely enjoy Golden Axe II for what it is, like I do.

Review added: 03/15/2024

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Interactive Designs

Greendog is an odd game. While it looks fine graphically, I always thought it looked like a bad game for some reason. It just didn't look fun…and now that I've made my way through it, I feel like this was a game that I successfully judged by its cover…well, kind of. Greendog is a passable platformer where your goal is to find various treasure pieces to reassemble them…not because he wants to be rich, but because he found a pendant around his neck and the only way he can remove it is by collecting all of that treasure. And in case you're wondering why he wouldn't just be lazy and accept the fact that he's wearing a cool-looking medallion for the rest of his life, there's a catch - for reasons not really explained, when he wears the medallion, Greendog also can't surf. And as the kids would say, that's totally bogus, dude. So, Greendog flies from island to island collecting treasures while performing so-so platforming. When you're not platforming, you may also find yourself in side-scrolling areas that resembling scrolling shooters…except you're only armed with a boxing glove in the skies, so much of these areas are spent avoiding things rather than attacking. Anyway, Greendog has some nice visuals, and an okay soundtrack, but many of the levels feature gameplay that feels a bit bland. It's not the worst platformer I've ever played, and I do consider it to be passable, but there are plenty of other games in the genre that I'd be happy to play before popping this one in again.

Review added: 02/04/2025

Gunstar Heroes

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Treasure

Gunstar Heroes was the rookie effort from the wonderful developers at Treasure...And in their first attempt, they may have created the single best game that they would ever make. I’ll even take it a step further and say that they may have made the absolute best game available on the Genesis/Mega Drive. Gunstar Heroes is a great shooter that can potentially be different each time you play through due to the way that you're able to combine weapon power-ups to find a style of firepower that is to your liking. Basically, you select a weapon type to start, then as you pick up weapons, you’ll automatically “combine” the two you’ve got equipped to create, in some cases, a mega weapon. Experimenting and figuring out which weapon combinations work best for your play style (and which combos work best against each boss) is a large part of the fun here. The personalities of each enemy that you encounter, and all of the explosions that result from your battles, also add to the fun. The game also contains some truly fun boss battles, including one of my favorite boss fights of all-time in Seven Force. Honestly, the only thing that really holds Gunstar Heroes back, in my opinion, is that it feels so short. Unlike a lot of games from the time that feel like they should have ended long before you actually reach the end, Gunstar Heroes leaves you wanting much, much more. Treasure has made a lot of fantastic games over the years, but the real “treasure” of Treasure, in my opinion, is Gunstar Heroes.

Review added: 02/23/2020