Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Electronic Arts

The early 90's is when Electronic Arts began becoming the sports-game juggernaut that it has become today, and Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs is basically the beginning of the NBA Live franchise. While it only contained a few teams from the playoffs and not every team in the NBA, that limitation allowed EA to bring an attention to detail to each player…different heights, different speeds, different looks. It’s impressive, and may not have been possible had they included every player and team in the NBA. Though, one would imagine that if you’re a fan of any of the teams or players that didn’t make the cut, then playing this may be a little bit of a disappointment. The gameplay is only passable, as is the overall experience, but it helped lay the groundwork for the better basketball games that Electronic Arts released in the next few years. For that it may be worth checking out for basketball fans that would like to see how NBA Live got its start.

Review added: 08/06/2019

Last Battle

Also known as: Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu (Japan)

Developer: Sega

Last Battle is basically a game in the series that would later be known in North America as Fist of the North Star…and I could be mistaken, but I think that this is the first game in the series to make it over here to the West. If I’m correct in that statement, then this was not much of a way to make a debut. If I was wrong with that guess?Well, pretend  was right so my comment seems more clever, please. Thank you. Anyway, Last Battle is a brawler that plays similar to Altered Beast, but it’s not as smooth and not as interesting. You don’t get to change into a cool beast in this game…instead you get either poorly translated or poorly written dialogue…or both, I suppose…both could be true. The only thing that I really liked was that after each level, you can choose your path so if you decided to play through again, you’d see something different…but honestly, with the quality of this game not being all that good, that’s like being able to choose which sand paper you want to wipe your hiney with after you drop a deuce in the toilet. That’d be a different experience each time, too. Doesn’t mean any option is a fun one. If you love Fist of the North Star, you may find something to like here. For the rest of us? Not so much.

Review added: 07/07/2019

Lotus Turbo Challenge

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Gremlin Interactive

The original game in the Lotus trilogy wasn’t released on the Genesis. Known as Lotus Espirit Turbo Challenge, it was more about doing laps on a track, watching your fuel levels, and overtaking fellow racers before completing the final lap. For this game (named Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 on other platforms) they threw most of that out the window for a more arcadey racing game. If you've never played Lotus Turbo Challenge, imagine Rad Racer from the NES, but in 16-bits. It’s not just Rad Racer in 16-bits, though. The main difference is that in Rad Racer, you’re basically just avoiding other vehicles as you race the time limit on your way to the finish line. In Lotus Turbo Challenge, you don’t just have other vehicles on the road that you have to maneuver around, but you also have various obstacles littering the road...like logs, rocks, and puddles. The end result is pretty enjoyable - it's not perfect, but it's a nice spin on the formula. If you're looking for a racing game on the Genesis, this one is a decent one to try, though I can’t imagine that it will have most folks coming back over and over for more.

Review added: 06/27/2021