About this Site - Sep 2025 Update

Hey gamers. I first published this blog in July 2024. That initial release included my thoughts about every game that was released in North America during the 16-bit era. 

At the time I was underway with the second, and final, phase of this project - to play and review every 16-bit title playable by an English speaker, regardless of region. As of right now, that goal has been reached.

What lies before you is a heap of reviews for every game I could play on the following consoles:

• Super Nintendo/Super Famicom (1205 total)
• North America (715)
• Japan (450)
• Europe/PAL (39) 
• Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (849)
• North America (704)
• Japan (94)
• Europe/PAL (51)
• Sega CD/Mega Drive CD (158)
• North America (141)
• Japan (12)
• Europe/PAL (5)
• TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine (255)
• North America (94)
• Japan (161)
• TurboGrafx-16 CD/PC Engine CD (163)
• North America (44)
• Japan (119)

Add it all up and you've got a rather pleasing grand total of 2,626 fourth-generation titles. 

The reviews are full of typos and incomplete sentences, but I don't care. The notes are simply gravy on top of the scores assigned to each game.

Some Background

Project Scope - This page explains the scope of the project, including a breakdown of all noteworthy games that were included or excluded. 

Methodology - Here's an explanation about the methodology I employed when reviewing and grading each game and how I assigned each game an overall score.

Who Am I? - In case you want to know more about the author.

Sortable Lists

You can explore the reviews in three different ways: by scrolling down on this page (not recommended), via the labels in the right nav, or by viewing the three pages linked below. Each page includes a table where you can sort or filter the list of games by Title, Score, Publisher, and Year.

All SNES/Super Famicom Games
All Genesis/Mega Drive Games
All Sega CD/Mega Drive CD Games
All TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine Games
All TurboGrafx-16 CD/PC Engine CD Games

Please enjoy one man's fully formed opinion of the fourth-generation of video game console libraries.

Theme Park for MD CD PAL

Image: MobyGames

Theme Park

My kids play this in Roblox

Genre: strategy - rts

Publisher: Domark

Year: 1995

System: MD CD PAL

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Controls work well despite using a controller. Camera pans when your cursor approaches edge of screen. Placing attractions and whatnot is imprecise due to the isometric perspective but it's manageable. Everything moves fast and frantic. It's like a fast moving SimCity. Build attractions, connect them with walkways and queues, and monitor key indicators which show how successful your design is. Fun One point off for the annoying Loading screens and bloat that comes with it being a CD game.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

I quickly reached a point where I was watching rather than building. I didn't get past the first level but I imagine there are lots of scenarios to deal with. I could see it getting old tho. Not sure how to keep this fresh and engaging. The thought of starting over doesn't sound appealing. I would probably rather tweak the same place

Theme Score: 5

Theme Notes:

Adorable aesthetic User generated content was a novel idea back in the 90s. Love the idea

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Again adorable. Sprites run around and everything animates. Lovely use of color.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Music is cute but unbearably repetitive. I muted it after a couple of minutes

Overall Score: 62

Review ID: 12704

Syndicate for MD CD PAL

Image: MobyGames

Syndicate

Cyberpunk 20XX

Genre: strategy - rts

Publisher: Domark

Year: 1995

System: MD CD PAL

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

It's unique anyway. Take jobs and bring your team of four Matrix Agent wannabes out to shoot targets and civilians. Plays a bit like GTA mixed with Risk. Lots of in between level management of stats, weapons, taxation of areas conquered. Isometric view

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

The levels have varying objectives like kill all baddies or rescue a hostage. Seems like the primary speak. Objectives are hard to understand. Just wander around until the level ends.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Cool cyberpunk setting

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

NES quality sprites. Living environment with lots of NPCs wandering. The world feels alive

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Nice atmospheric music and satisfying sounds like gunshots and screams. Vast improvement over the cartridge versions.

Overall Score: 53

Review ID: 12703

Smurfs for MD CD PAL

Image: MobyGames

Smurfs

The most pointless CD port

Genre: action - platform

Publisher: Infogrames

Year: 1994

System: MD CD PAL

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

No change from the cartridge version. Plays much better than the SNES version, which I played first. Still bad, but more playable. All the Westerm hallmarks. Slow movement, horrible hitboxes, inconsistent means of attacking enemies. I'm fact only a couple of enemies can be killed by bopping. Most can't be dealt with at all. Also a 40% draw distance.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Plays to all of the gameplay's deficiencies. Precision platforming is required everywhere. Perfect jumps are required to cross gaps, climb a tree in stage two, ride birds in stage three, and avoid enemy attacks. Very difficulty as a result. Puddles don't kill you like they did in the SNES version. Instead it makes you slip, which makes more sense.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Smurfs. Tiny bit of nostalgia but not cool enough to care. Play as a generic Smurf

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Nice sprites. Flat backgrounds but decent artwork. Darker colors but better performance.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Overall Score: 40

Review ID: 12702

Marko for MD CD PAL

Image: MobyGames

Marko

The other Soccer Kid

Genre: action - platform

Publisher: Domark

Year: 1994

System: MD CD PAL

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

These soccer themed games will be the death of me. Who thought this would be compelling? Possibly the slowest movement speed in a 16 bit platformer. You can run but there are too many enemies and hazards to use this much. Not to be confused with The Adventures of Kid Kleets, which was developed by a completely different team.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

I can't beat the first level. It's your standard licensed platformer with slow movement, terrible hit detection, no i-frames, cheap hits, etc., etc.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

Soccer kid

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

What a weird mixed bag. The sprites look amazing, although the charactes models aren't very interesting. The backgrounds, on the other hand, look like they're pulled from an Atari 5200 title. This weird contrast between sprites, platforms, and background is jarring. It's like you're concurrently looking at three different games.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Overall Score: 24

Review ID: 12701

Bloodshot for MD CD PAL

Image: MobyGames

Bloodshot

Impressive (but not good) Doom clone

Genre: shooter - fps

Publisher: Domark

Year: 1994

System: MD CD PAL

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

It's a Doom clone if ever there was such a thing. Movement is decent including the ability to strafe which is nice. Unfortunately, strafing requires you to hold down the A button which is awkward since B is shooting so it's hard to strafe and fire at the same time. You collect weapons in the first level. There were four or five but they have very limited ammo so they're gone almost as soon as you've equipped them. The frame rate as you might expect is significantly better than the Mega Drive version, making this a much better experience.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Extremely linear level design. Open the door. Kill enemies. Go to the next door. After beating the boss at the end of level, you have to run all the way back to the beginning. They give you a map which helps quite a bit.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

No idea what the story is on this one. It's just you and a corridor filled with aliens and robots.

Art Style Score: 5

Art Style Notes:

Impressive artwork. Looks far better than the Mega Drive version to boot. The screen takes up most of the available real estate. Framerate drops when there are two or more enemies, but nowhere near as bad as the cartridge version.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

VAST improvement over the chirpy 8-bit sounds in the Mega Drive version. The music is good but forgettable and sound effects are great.

Overall Score: 60

Review ID: 12700

Sengoku Denshou for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Sengoku Denshou

One of the most ok NeoGeo ports

Genre: action - beat em up

Publisher: Sammy

Year: 1993

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Slow movement, but generous hit detection. There are a handful of enemy types. Limited moves in your normal form, but the gimmick of the game is a set of transformations which are randomly dropped by enemies. You can get a sword, turn into a dog with a screw attack, a samurai with a projectile, and a ninja who backflips instead of walking. And that's just in the first level. These powerups timeout after about 30 seconds. Enemies hit like a truck, so it's critical to keep them at bay. Unlike the SFC version there are no health pickups.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Whole bunch of short segments. You get beamed up Star Trek-style between each segment. The levels take you all over the place - from a standard city street to rooftops to a sci-fi setting to a cherry blossom forest in the clouds. Enemies come in waves of 3 or 4 and surround you but not too bad.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Double Dragon meets Legend of the Mystical Ninja Kind of all over the place to be honest.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Large sprites with decent animation. The character models are great and the backgrounds are lively. I only wish there were more effects or environmental elements, but what's hear looks good. Still, nowhere close to a Final Fight in terms of graphics.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Bad music. Boring japanese flute music, or groovy tunes that feel completely out of place. Quiet sound effects. Nothing special.

Overall Score: 57

Review ID: 12511

Pro Yakyuu Super League CD for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Pro Yakyuu Super League CD

Genre: sports - baseball

Publisher: Sega

Year: 1995

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Hitting is ridiculously difficult. Pitching and fielding are ok, although it's hard to put any movement on your pitches. But yeah, good luck getting a hit.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Requires a lot of menuing to get into a game. Season and Exhibition modes. Nothing fancy.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Japan League license plus all of their players as well. Lot of Japanese text to contend with.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Large sprites in the batting/pitching view. Small sprites when fielding. One thing that really bothers me is that after making contact the ball very slowly hovers as if it had been hit by a badminton racket. Then the view switches to fielding and the ball is flying over the fence. There's no sense of speed and power coming off the bat. A dribbler to the pitcher and a home run have the same look to them. It's weird.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Ok music and a few so-bad they're good voices.

Overall Score: 43

Review ID: 12510

Ninja Warriors for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Ninja Warriors

Robot Rush'n Attack

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: Taito

Year: 1993

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Responsive controls. The gameplay amounts to walking right and mashing the attack button. Enemies come from both sides so you have to turn around now and then but you rarely leave the ground. You can jump but there's really no point because you can't attack while jumping. So in doing so pretty much guarantees. You'll take damage on your way back down. You can throw shurikens or attack with a sword, but you have limited ammo so attacks are generally the best. You can also duck and attack while crouched which is usually the safest bet because some enemies fire projectiles although some of those can also duck. But for the most part, the gameplay is continuously mash. Despite the decent controls The overall gameplay gets repetitive and boring very quickly.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Again the levels don't have much going on. There's absolutely no platforming. You're glued to the ground. The entire game. Enemies come and predefined waves at predefined times and the difficulty ramps up very quickly. There's no power up pickups or even health jobs and no extra weapons. So every level is essentially the same thing.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Robot ninjas. It's a near future sci-fi setting where you play as a robot. Your enemies are all dark-skinned and wearing army fatigues so I don't know what enemy Nation you're attacking, but there's no cutscenes or anything to explain a story. So it's like Rush'n Attack as a robot.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Significant improvement over the PCEngine version. The sprites are much larger and there's no more letterboxing. Not bad.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Again, big improvement over the PCEngine version. You can toggle between the original soundtrack and an arranged version that's even better.

Overall Score: 47

Review ID: 12509

Night Striker for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Night Striker

Hyperzone's ugly cousin

Genre: shooter - corridor

Publisher: Taito

Year: 1993

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Looks and plays a lot like Hyperzone for the SNES, but without the benefit of Mode 7 for sprite scaling. Enemies appear as a mess of blocky pixels and are easily lost in the background so it's hard to find and shoot them. A is an auto-shot while B and C are single shots. In other words, you only need A. There are no powerups, othe weapons, or other mechanics. Controls are customizable in that you can choose to invert movement and can enable or disable a momentum-based auto-correct feature. Turn it off immediately. Health doesn't recover between stages so this is a tough game. And like all of these games it's hard to hit your target without being hit yourself. Also, a crazy amount of slowdown.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Not much variety. The stages do snake around occassionally but it's a straight corridor for the most part. There are also some corridors with pipes covering portions of the screen, like the inside sections in Star Fox. There are branching paths with a tree reminiscent of OutRun.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

You're some sort of law enforcement in a post-apocalyptic world. Feels a bit like Blade Runner meets Space Harrier.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Hideous artwork. Sprites are large and lack any detail. They look like amorphous MS Paint creations. The background looks quite good, but the building are as ugly as those in Super Thunder Blade. It reminds me of G.I. Joe the arcade game, but at a much lower resolution. There's a good sense of speed, but barf is it ugly in motion.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

I enjoyed the music quite a bit. Sound effects are fine - not too loud or obnoxious. Voice samples are too quiet, however

Overall Score: 43

Review ID: 12508

Heavy Nova for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Heavy Nova

The laziest CD port ever

Genre: fighting - 1v1

Publisher: Micronet

Year: 1991

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

Looks and plays exactly like the Genesis version. No added FMV or anything else to improve the game. Lazy The most unresponsive controls ever. Turning around requires double tapping but it works maybe half the time. Hits register randomly, like maybe 25% of the time. Actually that's being generous. It's more like 10%. No idea how to pull off special moves.

Level Design Score: 0

Level Design Notes:

You traverse a very short 2-3 screen "level" with obstacles and enemies which only serve to demonstrate how horrible the controls are before having a 1v1 fight with another mech. So boring.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

The premise is fine and the opening cinematic got me excited. You're a mech being trained on an asteroid space station.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Huge sprites are well animated. However the mech designs are some of the least interesting robots I've seen this side of Rise of the Robots. Backgrounds are poorly drawn with boring repeating times of grey, brown, and purple.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Music is better quality than the Genesis version but still sounds like a 70s TV show soundtrack. Sounds are chincy and whiny.

Overall Score: 11

Review ID: 12507

F1 Circus CD for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

F1 Circus CD

Genre: racing - simulation

Publisher: Nihon Bussan

Year: 1992

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Hey, a simulation game where I can stay on the track! What a novelty. In-cockpit only and more arcadey than most simulation racing games.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

The best in-cockpit viewport I could imagine. The top 20% of the screen is your rear view mirror, simple stats are just below, and the map is on the left. The game isn't visually impressive, but everything looks the way you'd want it to.

Audio Score: 0

Audio Notes:

The WORST sound in a racing game ever. The drone of the engine is absolutely mind-numbing. There's no music in-game to cover up the awful sound. Terrible

Overall Score: 33

Review ID: 12506

Egawa Suguru no Super League CD for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Egawa Suguru no Super League CD

Care for some tea?

Genre: sports - baseball

Publisher: Sega

Year: 1995

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Slow speed, especially when fielding and baserunning. It's as if the game drops to 10 FPS. The transition between pitching to fielding is jaring and doesn't allow you adequate time to field within the infield. Also, fly balls are impossible to catch as you can't tell where your fielders are and they don't move to the ball by default. All movement is up to you. When batting the ball comes at you fast, making it hard to connect. And when pitching it's nearly impossible to place the ball at the right spot. Holding one direction sends the ball clear to that side of the screen. Even careful tapping could send it way out of the strike zone. Pretty tough to get three strikes on anyone. The one nice thing they added is a power meter to choose the pitch speed.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

There's a season or a one game mode but they're absolutely buried in layers of Japanese text-heavy menus. It takes forever to get into a game.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

Japan League license, complete with full rosters. There's a massive focus on the teams and players, including a card which pops up and must be dismissed between every player and every inning. Also there are screens showing a manager or commissioner guy. It's just him with a cup of tea. I don't know who this guy is but he's kind of creepy.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Sprites are ok, but this game is pretty ugly, all things considered. The color palette is truly awful. All browns and oranges. It reminds me of the The Natural.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Overall Score: 41

Review ID: 12505

Earnest Evans for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Earnest Evans

Totally not Indiana Jones

Genre: action - hack n slash

Publisher: Wolf Team

Year: 1991

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Plays just like the Genesis version - horribly. The ragdoll physics and weird movement tech makes gameplay feel like Getting Over it With Bennett Foddy or Surgery Simulator. Your main form of attack is to wave your bullwhip around like it's on fire. It works alright but looks as dumb as it sounds. Enemies have no hitbox and you get no knockback or i-frames so if you get inside them they tank you in a matter of seconds. Pervasive slowdown, just lke the Genesis version.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

The levels aren't terrible. Typical platform stuff but enemies are the key thing to worry about. Reminds me of Super Star Wars or Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

Indiana Jones rip-off. The first level is a straight up copy of the opening scene from Raiders, right down to the stone chase at the end.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Horrible slowdown and animation. All sprites have an unnatural, segmented and articulated look about them. My wife said they look like skeletons. Truly horrific artwork

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Massive improvement from the sad Genesis version. The music here is epic and beautiful. The sound effects are marginally better than the Genesis, but nothing to get excited about.

Overall Score: 31

Review ID: 12504

Dynamic Country Club for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Dynamic Country Club

As frustrating as real golf

Genre: sports - golf

Publisher: Sega

Year: 1994

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

One of the hardest golf games I've played. The physics are excellent to a fault. The worst part is the fast power gauge coupled with one of those moving cursors over the surface of the ball. Stop it anywhere but dead center and your hit is going to massively fade or cut. This severely hampers an otherwise good experience. I won't revisit this one anytime soon

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

The typical modes

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

One of the realistic, stuffy golf games

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Changing direction causes a quick redraw but everything else is decent. Not exceptional on any way, but also not bad either

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

The song restarts after every stroke, so be prepared to hear the same 10 notes over and over

Overall Score: 35

Review ID: 12503

Devastator for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Devastator

The red car Transformer, not Darth Vader's star destroyer

Genre: action - gun

Publisher: Wolf Team

Year: 1993

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

Three weapons - spread, wavy lasers (how is that a thing?), or useless bombs. My only complaint is that enemies take too many hits, but even so, this feels great as a run n gun. Not top tier, but a small step down from Cybernator, Turrican, R2, and the like. Jumping and platforming work great, although the jump is a bit short.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Great variety. Levels snake up and around in all directions and don't open up into annoying mazes. Bosses and mini bosses appear just as you'd expect. Every few stages you get a horizontal shooter. These stages are intense!

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Long full screen anime-quality cutscenes look fantastic for the era. Lots of great mech action. FYI some fan service. All dialogue is on Japanese so that story is lost on me.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Almost great, but the mech designs leave something to be desired. They look too thin and whispy. Too small.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

I like 2/3rds of the music. Sound effects are even better, with nice explosions.

Overall Score: 80

Review ID: 12502

Cyborg 009 for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Cyborg 009

Genre: action - gun

Publisher: Riot

Year: 1993

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Plays nothing like the SFC version. Whereas that game was painfully slow and laggy, this one is shockingly fast and hard to control. That's mostly due to a difficult-to-manage dash mechanic. You can dash left, right, up, or diagonal, but the timing of inputs is a mess. You have to press C to dash while holding a direction. Seems easy enough, but for a diagonal or upward dash you also have to hit jump at the same time, otherwise you'll do a horizontal dash. And you can change direction mid-dash, which leads to weird unwanted shifts. Even worse, the camera doesn't keep up with you and takes several seconds to catch up, leaving you with zero draw distance and a period of severe vulnerability. It's a shame because it hampers what is otherwise a fun run n gun. If the dhas were improved even slightly I'd bump this up to a 4.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

There's a lot to like here. Stages switch between straight-forward platforming and autoscroller running. Bosses and mini-bosses abound, but unfortunately they're the only truly interesting elements in most stages. Tons of potential, but largely squandered.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Massive language barrier, but the anime cutscenes are plentiful and fun.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Just like the SFC version, the sprites look nice but the stages look bland and uninteresting. Nice cutscenes.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Quality music, but sound effects are either non-existent or don't playover the music.

Overall Score: 61

Review ID: 12501

Anett Futatabi for MD CD

Image: MobyGames

Anett Futatabi

It's Anett! And I don't mean Funicello

Genre: action - beat em up

Publisher: Wolf Team

Year: 1994

System: MD CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

As is true of most WolfTeam games, this feels more like a rough draft than a final product. At first I was impressed by the controls. You've got a fast attack, decent jump attack, grab and throw, plus the ability to run which can be combined with each attack. Life is good with the moveset. You can even change direction while running - something you don't see much in these games. However, the enemy AI quickly put a damper on my excitement. Enemies do the dumbest things, making the decent controls seem inconsequential while playing. Enemies aimlessly mosey around the screen and in many cases avoid you altogether. A profound sense of notes settled in quickly as I waited for them to engage in the game. It's is if they don't much care. You can easily cheese the game by run attacking enemies just as they stand up, but the same is true of you.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Hilariously bad level design. Enemies come in waves of 2 or 3 and if you go beyond this the game comes to a screeching halt. As if it weren't slow enough already.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Long and well animated cutscenes tell a story of betrayal by some military guy, his daughter, and reluctant son. I'm not sure what your relationship is with those characters due to the language barrier. Oh and there's some light fan service.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Cutscenes look great. I'm game artwork is a mixed bag with good sprites but uninteresting backgrounds and terrible magic effects.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Ok music that's too tame and too quiet and has a long pause when it loops. Terrible sound effects with near constant yelling voices.

Overall Score: 39

Review ID: 12500

WWF - Rage in the Cage for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

WWF - Rage in the Cage

You can't cage Hulk Hogan, apparently

Genre: fighting - wrestling

Publisher: Arena

Year: 1993

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Plays like all the cartridge WWF games. Same controls, but with good hit detection and speed. The grappling meter is here, so I think this a suped-up version o fWWF Royal Rumble. Boring, repetitive gameplay, but at least it performs well.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Wait, this can't be WWF Royal Rumble because the Battle royale mode is missing. Lame. In any case, The modes are One Fall (exhibition), Brawl, Cage Match, and Tournament. One Fall and Brawl are the same except Brawl ends when one of you runs out of health, like a 1v1 fighting game. The other two should be obvious. Same ring as always. 9 difficulty levels make this an approachable and accessible title.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

No Hulk Hogan! Twenty different fighters. Each bout begins with a skippable voice intro for each wrestler. Love it.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Impressive animation Lots of details like the crowd moving and the announcers ringside. Big bold sprites with more color that the first WWF game.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

As usual, just crows noise and grunts. The ring sounds nice. the voice samples round out the package.

Overall Score: 56

Review ID: 12140

World Cup USA '94 for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

World Cup USA '94

The worst one

Genre: sports - soccer

Publisher: U.S. Gold

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

I thought Tony Meolo had cryptic menus. This game beats that one hands down. I spent 10 minutes menuing before I was able to play a game. During that time I somehow made the computer play itself offscreen three times before I was able to control my own squad. I still have no idea what combination of button and icon let me play an actual game. Opponents move about 50% faster than your team. Game moves so fast you basically have no control. Maybe I turned on permanent turbo mode in my menuing. Impossible to pass without an opponent stealing the ball. Couldn't get the ball to the opponents side of the pitch. Couldn't take a single shot.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

Tons of options so maybe there are a bunch of modes. I have no idea and no energy to figure it out.

Theme Score: 1

Theme Notes:

I hate soccer

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Teeny tiny sprites down from a birds eye view only barely bigger than those in Sensible Soccer. Very minimalist

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Crowd noise

Overall Score: 10

Review ID: 12139

Wonder Dog for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Wonder Dog

Bad dog. No biscuit.

Genre: action - platform

Publisher: JVC

Year: 1992

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Responsive controls are wasted by oneof the worst means of attack ever in a platformer. You're a dog. A Wonder Dog, but your only means of attack is throwing a star attack that bounces around so randomly that it's impossible to guarantee you'll hit the enemy right in front of you. You can't bop or punch/kick enemies and of course they swarm at you, so you're left mashing A and hoping for the best. I said the controls are responsive, but this is also nerfed by the "hold B to run" mechanic which turns you into a mix between Sonic and an ice skater. Frustrating

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Pretty typical platforming, but with a lot of slopes and platforms that are just a little too high for your jump. Running is required for much of the precision platforming, which doesn't play well with the slippery controls. Collectible abound, but are useless, so most of the platforming paths available aren't worth attempting.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

The story is told via a looooong cutscene that's 90% a verbal info dump. You're an alien dog with super powers looking for the boy who wanted to adopt you. But once the game starts you're killing all the people and squirrels in the local park. I guess the super dog broke bad.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Yet another Amiga port. Why do they all look the same?! This one has good sprites and some lovely background artwork and parallax.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Juvenile, repetitive music

Overall Score: 44

Review ID: 12138

Wolfchild for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Wolfchild

The Genesis version. With cutscenes and load times.

Genre: action - punch n kick

Publisher: JVC

Year: 1993

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

You have two forms - a puny human and a werewolf. The human has only a weak punch but the wolf has a projectile attack. Gotta keep from getting hit so you can keep the wolf, ala Zelda or Altered Beast. Controls are very responsive although your jump is way too short. Movement feels good aside from the short jump. Lots of promise Would really benefit from a password system. Enemies have hit boxes but only hurt you when they attack. Love this.

Level Design Score: 3

Level Design Notes:

Linear with some boring level design. Actually it's not terrible but there are a ton of cheap hits and corridors with short ceilings.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

Pretty dorky title. Wolf Child? Uhh Ultimately it's just you killing bird alien guys.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

Impressive graphics throughout. Sprites look great. Backgrounds have a ton of parallax scrolling and interesting artwork. Artwork isn't terribly detailed but again everything looks nice.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Love the music and sound effects are nice as well. Not memorable but good sound

Overall Score: 74

Review ID: 12137

WireHead for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

WireHead

Inspector Gadget as a "dumb dad" 90s sitcom

Genre: fmv - n/a

Publisher: MGM Interactive

Year: 1995

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 0

Gameplay Notes:

The definition of an interactive movie. You watch a movie and every two or three seconds you're presented with the choice of three directions - up, left and right. Only one choice is correct and will advance the movie while the others result in a game over. So, memorize or use a guide to watch the full movie. There's not else here. Why would someone want to do this?

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

There's nothing resembling gameplay or level design. It's a straight up movie with a button press to continue watching it. Still, this is technically better than most of these FMV titles since there's no way to miss these interactive moments, so I feel obligated to give it a 1.

Theme Score: 0

Theme Notes:

You are the remote controller of a man/drone cyborg who looks and acts like a dorky suburban dad. Basically, Inspector Gadget as a 90s sitcom. The movie begins with the cyborg Dad answering the door to receive a package from an unassuming delivery woman. Wirehead's awful children use a controller to cause their dad to act like a complete baffoon before Mom shows up to slightly scold the kids. Dad regains control and embarrassingly accepts the package from the dumbfounded woman. Her look of disbelief at the absurdity of the situation before her matches my own. This is as stupid a concept as I've ever come across.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Excellent video quality...for the Sega CD.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Good sound as well.

Overall Score: 17

Review ID: 12136

Wing Commander for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Wing Commander

Full voice acting, better artwork, but worse gameplay

Genre: simulation - flight

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 2

Gameplay Notes:

Gameplay is significantly worse than the SNES version. How is that possible given the added power of the mighty Sega CD?! Whatever the alcuase, the choppy movement and slowdown is cranked up to 11 here. A terrible control scheme adds to the frustration. Instead of R and L for your throttle you have to hold B and press up or down to accelerate. This is not easy during a dogfight. Despite the improved.conematocs, this is the weaker 16-bit version.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

I didn't see a lot of missions but each level receives a detailed mission briefings followed by conversations with other pilots and the bartender between missions. If memory serves there is lots of variety in the types of missions.

Theme Score: 5

Theme Notes:

I LOVE the story and setting in this sci-fi game. It's very cinematic, from the amazing cut scenes to the dialogue and interactions you have with your fellow pilots, commanding officers, and enemies. That's even more true on this CD version which has fun cinematic with voice acting. Permadeath is so sad when you lose a wingman. The highlight of the game, for sure.

Art Style Score: 4

Art Style Notes:

The gameplay view looks like it does in the the SNES version but the cinematics and inside the Claw artwork are all significantly upgraded.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

The music is a step back from the SNES version, despite being CD quality. But the voice acting is too notch stuff. Very impressive.

Overall Score: 61

Review ID: 12135

Wild Woody for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Wild Woody

If THQ created Earthworm Jim

Genre: action - platform

Publisher: Sega

Year: 1995

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Plays like Earthworm Jim, if it was created by THQ. Truly awful, jerky controls. Terrible hot detection. Etc. etc.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Nothing terribly wrong with the level design, but far from good. Stages drag on far too long and have so many dead ends and useless branches that you'd think they were procedurally generated.

Theme Score: 0

Theme Notes:

Everything that's wrong with mid 90s sensibilities wrapped up in a neat little package. You are a pencil. Yes. A pencil. Once that has been animated by a mystic totem found by a modern Indiana Jones guy shown off screen. Woody is loud, edgy, talkative, and obnoxious. The opening cinematic is as cringey as they come.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Backgrounds have some nice parallax but otherwise this is a late gen title drawn like an early gen rough draft. Hideous character design round out an ugly package.

Audio Score: 0

Audio Notes:

Easily one of the worst video game soundtracks of all time. The edgy 90s theme rears it's ugly head once again, with music that sounds more like a car crash than a man-made creative endeavor.

Overall Score: 22

Review ID: 12134

Who Shot Johnny Rock for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Who Shot Johnny Rock

I guess Roger Rabbit wasn't available

Genre: shooter - gallery

Publisher: American Laser Games

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 1

Gameplay Notes:

Same awful FMV shooting gallery nonsense. On Wimp difficulty it at least give you a second to react, but these things are all the same. The best thing I can say about it is that you've got a lot of ammo.

Level Design Score: 1

Level Design Notes:

There are a few times when it uses a coin flip to pick which video plays. I suppose 50/50 is the best that one of these titles can offer in terms of replayability.

Theme Score: 0

Theme Notes:

This is the worst film noir film I've ever seen. I can feel my brain cells melting away as I watch this insipid production. How anyone could conceive of, produce, and release this nonesense is beyond me.

Art Style Score: 1

Art Style Notes:

Grainy and dark. Hard to spot your targets.

Audio Score: 1

Audio Notes:

Insanely bad dialogue and a cheesy narrator.

Overall Score: 19

Review ID: 12133

Wheel of Fortune for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Wheel of Fortune

FMV Hangman

Genre: puzzle - game show

Publisher: Sony Imagesoft

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Sooooo slow. Spinning the wheel after each turn is painful. This is the slowest game of Hangman ever. The UI is improved over the SNES and Genesis version. Letters are on two rows, making them easier to find. It's a slow experience, but I actually enjoyed it more than other 16-bit game shows.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Yeah, you know what you're getting here. I couldn't figure out how to play against computers, so that was weird. But the puzzles all made sense which I appreciated. The words and phrases haven't aged as much as those in Jeopardy.

Theme Score: 2

Theme Notes:

Hangman. I've never liked this game show. The authentic sounds and Vanna White announcing constantly made it a little more fun.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

FMV animations of Vanna get old after a while but look good for this era.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Vast improvement over the SNES and Genesis versions. There's no music during play but the voices and sound effects are spot on.

Overall Score: 54

Review ID: 12132

Vay for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Vay

Working Design's other Sega CD RPG

Genre: rpg - japanese

Publisher: Working Designs

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 4

Gameplay Notes:

Plays a lot like Working Design's other RPG series - Lunar. The battle view is different (from behind) but many of the same QoL mechanics are present, such as auto-battle. Load times are more noticeable that Lunar, but battle speeds are a little faster. Overall this is an unremarkable but fun little RPG.

Level Design Score: 4

Level Design Notes:

Not much grinding necessary. Simple, linear progression and instant two or three person parties.

Theme Score: 4

Theme Notes:

Standard rescue the princess plotline, but wrapped around a sci-fi mech suit core theme. I'm intrigued and eager to see what else the plot has to offer.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

The artwork is decent, but background artwork is lacking.

Audio Score: 4

Audio Notes:

Cool music, but not top-tier by any stretch. The CD quality bumps it up but you won't be humming anything afterward.

Overall Score: 78

Review ID: 12131

Ultraverse Prime for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Ultraverse Prime

Discount Superman

Genre: action - beat em up

Publisher: Sony Imagesoft

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Punch, kick and jump. Fast movement but no run. You can grab and throw but it happens inconsistently. It's actually terrible when it does because throws don't hit other enemies so holding an enemy leaves you vulnerable to all others. Small sprites. Good hit detection. 20% draw distance Worthless jump kick.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

Typical fare. Nothing worth mentioning. Almost no environmental elements and small waves of enemies over and over again.

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

90s comic book with steroid fueled heroes and enemies.

Art Style Score: 3

Art Style Notes:

Small sprites are well drawn but have minimal animation. No slowdown. Has a Shumacher Gotham feel to it.

Audio Score: 2

Audio Notes:

Elevator music. First scene sounds like a Christmas song, second is a hillbilly song, and third is a wind flute jazz song straight out of a film noir. There are virtually no sound effects, even as huge bosses bound around, Hulk smashing the ground, or when you pick up and throw a car. All you've got is the elevator music and the sound of your own attacks.

Overall Score: 53

Review ID: 12130

Trivial Pursuit for Sega CD

Image: MobyGames

Trivial Pursuit

A true digital bored game. I mean, board game.

Genre: tabletop - board game

Publisher: Virgin

Year: 1994

System: Sega CD

Gameplay Score: 3

Gameplay Notes:

Other than slow loading times, this is a great digital version of the board game. It shows a picture with each question and then reads the question to you. You don't have to type in an answer like on Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. Instead, you just choose whether or not the player gave the right answer. Again, the slow load times are my only complaint.

Level Design Score: 2

Level Design Notes:

There are no configuration options. No difficulties to choose, for example. Just choose the number of players and jump into a game. Actually, you can choose between

Theme Score: 3

Theme Notes:

A couple of goofy, cartoony guys are your guides, with a few animations and appearances on category title cards. It feels a little off but isn't bad.

Art Style Score: 2

Art Style Notes:

Silly artwork doesn't jive with the real-life photos used in the questions. It's as good as a board game in the 16-bit era can look, I suppose. Still, it's got the Sega dithering all over the place, so it's not much to look at.

Audio Score: 3

Audio Notes:

Hilariously dated music. Good voice acting which reads the questions.

Overall Score: 53

Review ID: 12129