Remember Mega-Drive Classics Like Micro Machines?
As I was rooting through my Sega Mega-Drive collection the other day, I came across a whole bunch of classics, but the retro memories I enjoyed the most was Micro Machines. Do you remember this one?
Playing Micro Machines on the Mega-Drive is hilarious. Produced by a genius at Codemasters in 1991, the arcade extravaganza is a racing game that features tiny cartoon-like bubble cars and several challenging circuits created from general everyday scenes.
Some of the most memorable circuits that flooded back to me was a pool table, the beach, a toilet seat, the breakfast table and a school desk. Each circuit was then littered with obstacles to avoid as you raced your mates to the finish line. Often with hilarious consequences en-route.
To make the race even more complicated – and it was part of the game – was to impede your opponent by smashing into them and knocking them off the track. The bubble cars would bounce off one another and fall to their doom in an amusing fashion and a puff of smoke.
Micro Machines was also released on the PS1 and PS2 as well as the Sega Mega-Drive and is probably the most fun you will ever have with your playing partners on any games console.
Other memorable Mega-Drive classics worth a mention
There are loads of retro video games I could mention such as Bomberman, Lemmings and Herzog Zwei, but there are two in particular that are worthy of a special mention; Alien Soldier and Hellfire.
The reason I think these are worth a special mention is because they never really get the credit they deserve when people reminisce about retro video games for the Sega Mega Drive.
Alien Soldier was one of the Mega-Drive rarities that didn’t get the recognition it deserved. In my opinion at least, this run-and-gun game is a masterpiece filled with fast-paced action, explosions and the classic battle-with the boss finale.
In total there are 31 levels to survive, each of which is more difficult and curious than the preceding level. One of the highlights is a battle with a giant alien helicopter stationed on the roof of a moving train. In my eyes, Alien Soldier is a game that will never grow tiresome.
You may scoff at this next mention when you consider the plethora of scrolling shooters in the early nineties, but I loved Hellfire. Okay, the space-blaster story line is a cliché, but makers Taoplan excelled in this genre and Hellfire had amazing graphics for the time.
The player space rocket was equipped with four weapons which players could switch to with relative ease. The version on the Mega-Drive was arguably better than the original arcade version given the manufacturers added a super cannon and several extra levels that made the console version more of a challenge.
What retro video games would you like to see re-released as upgraded versions? Let us know!
About the author
Zeeshan Mallick
Co-Founder of SuperRetroGamer.com
