All 16-Bit

Review #12081 My Paint - The Animated Paint Program Paint has never been so animated Sega CD 1994 Saddleback Graphics Educational Educational › N/a H 33 / 100 Horrible Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay As far as drawing programs go, this one isn't terrible. It's too basic to have any real use, and is less functional than Mario Paint, but stands above Art Alive for the Genesis. The cursor is extremely slow and can't be calibrated. This is good for drawing, but bad for menu navigation. It's got all of the drawing tools you'd expect in a post-Mario Paint landscape. There's Freehand, Spray, Fill, Line, Box, Circle, and a fun one that replicates your movement in all four quadrants of the drawing area. You can undo your most recent change, cycle b...

Review #10026 Magical Dinosaur Tour Encyclopedias have gone the way of the dinosaurs TG-16 CD 1990 NEC Educational Educational › N/a F 52 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay It's a digital encyclopedia, for better or worse. The cursor is slow on pages that use one, but my only real complaint is how tiny the viewport for text boxes is. The box only shows two lines of text and scrolling up or down snaps to the next line rather than giving a nice scrolling effect. 3 / 5 Level Design This software's design amounts to a few different ways to find and access the dinosaur-specific enyclopedia articles. There's a visual view where you pick an era, a geographical region, and then mouse over and click on a ...

Review #8003 Artist Tool PCE 1989 Hudson Soft Educational Educational › N/a X 9 / 100 You've been warned Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 0 / 5 Gameplay Oof. This is a drawing program that apparently allowed you to print your artwork when combined with a few peripherals, ala Game Boy Camera and Game Boy Printer. This game's interface is extreemly limited when compared to Mario Paint on SNES and Art Alive on the Genesis, since the only tools you have are Freehand (pencil), Straight Line, and Circle. It doesn't even have Fill! No thanks. 0 / 5 Level Design There is exactly one mode in this game. Every contemporary PC and console had a more functional drawing tool than this one. 1 / 5 Theme Umm, at least it...

Review #4666 Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? The spiritual precursor to Professor Layton Genesis 1992 Electronic Arts Educational Educational › N/a F 58 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 3 / 5 Gameplay Point and click gameplay. Easy to navigate menus. Soms random elements like the passage of time which gives a tiny bit of good anxiety 3 / 5 Level Design The game is broken down into cases. Complete 5 cases to go after Carmen Sandiego herself. Each level plays the same but is random which gives variety. 3 / 5 Theme 2 / 5 Art Style Very simple graphics. Animations are fun 3 / 5 Audio No music, thankfully. Sound...

Review #4667 Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? See notes for the other Carmen Sandiego game Genesis 1992 Electronic Arts Educational Educational › N/a F 54 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 3 / 5 Gameplay 3 / 5 Level Design 3 / 5 Theme 2 / 5 Art Style 1 / 5 Audio Sound effects are a major downgrade. They have theannoying Genesis noise. More Genesis reviews Browse all reviews

Review #4654 Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio Genesis 1994 Sega Educational Educational › N/a X 14 / 100 You've been warned Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 0 / 5 Gameplay Not sure what to even call this game. You click and drag animated and non animated sprites onto a canvas. That's the full extent of the game's objective. You can add motion paths to the sprites and mix music using predefined blocks. It's interesting for about 2 mins but ultimately hollow. 1 / 5 Level Design There are five or six different themes with backgrounds and sprites to match but it's all cosmetic. There's nothing else to do. 1 / 5 Theme I like the idea, I guess. The animations are fun to look at, like a sticker she...

Review #4601 Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends One track mind Genesis 1993 T*HQ Educational Educational › N/a X 23 / 100 You've been warned Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 1 / 5 Gameplay Almost no controls. You go automatically and only use the dpad to switch tracks or to brake. 1 / 5 Level Design Very different than the SNES version. That one was a simple collection of 6 mini games. This is just one game played a few different ways. Just chug along on an overhead track. No map to help you go anywhere. After 10 minutes you've seen the whole game. 2 / 5 Theme Crappy kids show. But it's trains which is cool 1 / 5 Art Style Very simple artwork. Creepy Sir Topp...

Review #4500 Sesame Street: Counting Cafe There's a fly in my soup Genesis 1994 Electronic Arts Educational Educational › N/a H 26 / 100 Horrible Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 1 / 5 Gameplay Floaty movement. Jump is your only move. Objective is to take an order (1 of this, 2 of that) then find those items on platforms to the right and jump to add them to your platter one at a time. Then bring them to the customer. Always the same customer. 1 / 5 Level Design What do you expect? It's supremely simple, repetitive, and way too long. After three fetch quests you've done all there is to do but to finish the game you'll have to do the same thing 23 more times. After 5 rounds there's a brief segment with light platforming whi...

Review #4474 Richard Scarry's Busytown Genesis 1994 Sega Educational Educational › N/a F 55 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay A series of short mini games. Mostly just walk to a sparkle on screen and press a button. Obviously heard toward the under 5 crowd. 3 / 5 Level Design Fun little games. The animations and scenarios are delightful and cute. 4 / 5 Theme Adorable. I remember these books and this captures the source material well. My wife and kids had a grand time playing and watching this game being played. 4 / 5 Art Style Great artwork and sprites. Nothing technically impressive but the art is fun and colorful. 4 / 5 ...

Review #4337 Math Blaster: Episode 1 Wing Commander meets 2nd Grade math Genesis 1993 Davidson & Associates Educational Educational › N/a H 31 / 100 Horrible Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay Wing Commander where you shoot Numbers in food rather than Cats in spaceships. Surprisingly addictive. And it makes you feel smart. It eventually gets old since there's absolutely nothing else to do. Just do 1 and 2 digit addition over and over again. Cursor moves at just the right speed to hit what you want. Hit detection is good not great but I always felt like I hit what I was aiming for. 0 / 5 Level Design What levels? 3 / 5 Theme The cockpit makes this look like a real video game. Decent presen...

Review #4328 Magic School Bus, (Scholastic's) The: Space Exploration Game Mars needs Ms. Frizzle Genesis 1995 Sega Educational Educational › N/a F 55 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay A series of minigames including clones of Wing Commander, Asteroids, Arkanoid, Moon Lander, and a platformer. There are also simple puzzles like a slide puzzle. Tons of variety, although they repeat in the same sequence level after level, so it gets tiring on a long playthrough. Controls are only ok. I might even call this a good game if the controls had been a touch more responsive. As it is it plays like most licensed titles. 4 / 5 Level Design Again, tons of variety in the levels. Some are quite fun, like the Asteroid an...

Review #4234 Great Waldo Search The most expensive Waldo book ever published Genesis 1992 T*HQ Educational Educational › N/a X 16 / 100 You've been warned Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 1 / 5 Gameplay Just a picture that's about 5 screens wide and 1 screen tall. You have to find Waldo and one other item, like a scroll. Optional pickups include clocks, which give you more time (as if you'd need it), and a points block. You can also find the Waldo dog (Waldog?) which let's you play a minigame where you pick up dogbones while riding on a magic carpet. The "I can show you the world" level in Aladdin did it much better. Zero challenge to be had. Basically not a game. It's far less interesting than the books it's based on. 0 / 5 ...

Review #4211 Fun 'N Games Actually, it's neither Genesis 1993 Tradewest Educational Educational › N/a G 40 / 100 Bad Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay Mario Paint clone Four modes - Paint, Music, Games, and Style Slow cursor, especially when compared to the SNES version. Two games - Space Lazer which is basically Wing Commander Lite. Mouse Maze is Pac-Man. Both are fun with decent controls Style is beyond stupid. A bad dress up game with a sound bit that plays each time you cycle through clothes and hair options. "Rad, wild, groovy, scary" It's truly awful. Mix n Match is also stupid 3 / 5 Level Design Na 1 / 5 Theme Generic stuff. Doesn't stand out in any way ...

Review #4044 Barney's Hide & Seek Game Remember, I love you Genesis 1993 Sega Educational Educational › N/a H 32 / 100 Horrible Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 1 / 5 Gameplay Super simple platforming. One button gameplay. All buttons jump or blow a kiss if you're not at a jump spot. Kissing interacts with certain things like animals who then get a Barney hug. It's just a series of interactive events. Not quite my speed, but sadly it has better controls than some games not made for preschoolers. 2 / 5 Level Design Honestly some decent design. Multi level platforms and tons of interactive opportunities. Objective is to find 5 kids and 5 presents. Each level has unique music and settings. Woods, underwater, farm, etc ...

Review #4041 Barbie: Super Model I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world Genesis 1993 Hi Tech Expressions Educational Educational › N/a G 45 / 100 Bad Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 2 / 5 Gameplay Two modes - Junior and Super Model. Junior lets you do dress up to your hearts content while Super has hit points and memory-based competition aspects that one might fail at. The memory-based mini games have you replicate a magazine cover or a catwalk routine. In between you control a runner section where obstacles can hit you. There's no time and no penalty for anything aside from scoring fewer points. Sometimes you go right and other times you go left. Everything is extremely simple and easy. 3 / 5 Level Design The events appear to be random. I...

Review #4031 Art Alive! SG Paint Genesis 1992 Sega Educational Educational › N/a X 10 / 100 You've been warned Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 0 / 5 Gameplay No mouse support means this Mario Paint or MS Paint wannabe is an absolute chore to use. It's a shame because the painting features all work ok and the menu system which is accessible via the Start button are immediately understandable. That said this is the most shallow software released for the Genesis. There's 5 minutes of entertainment value, maybe. 1 / 5 Level Design You can draw (without a mouse) or animate a sprite. That's it. 1 / 5 Theme Little to no personality. Other than Sonic and Toejam & Earl stamps that is ...

Review #682 Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The spiritual precursor to Professor Layton SNES 1993 Hi Tech Expressions Educational Educational › N/a F 58 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 3 / 5 Gameplay Point and click gameplay. Easy to navigate menus. Soms random elements like the passage of time which gives a tiny bit of good anxiety 3 / 5 Level Design The game is broken down into cases. Complete 5 cases to go after Carmen Sandiego herself. Each level plays the same but is random which gives variety. 3 / 5 Theme 2 / 5 Art Style Very simple graphics. Animations are fun 3 / 5 Audio No music, thankfully. Sound...

Review #683 Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? See notes for the other Carmen Sandiego game SNES 1993 Hi Tech Expressions Educational Educational › N/a F 58 / 100 Not Bad, but Flawed Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 3 / 5 Gameplay 3 / 5 Level Design 3 / 5 Theme 2 / 5 Art Style 3 / 5 Audio More SNES reviews Browse all reviews

Review #625 Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends One track mind SNES 1993 T*HQ Educational Educational › N/a H 25 / 100 Horrible Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 1 / 5 Gameplay Simple controls in each level. Just a colmini games 6 minigames. You could see everything in 15 mins. 1 / 5 Level Design Fix the Tracks was a fun light puzzle. Choose train tracks to get the train to three locations of the map. Took a bit of critical thinking. But its the same EVERY time. Let's Race Percy is just a button-mash race ala Konami Track & Field which would be OK but the button plays your whistle each time. There's a level where they read you a book. Very well done with inactive elements but again, it's the same every time. Zero replay value. ...

Review #458 Rex Ronan Experimental Surgeon Not-so Fantastic Voyage SNES 1994 RayaSystems Educational Educational › N/a X 15 / 100 You've been warned Screenshot used for review/reference purposes. 0 / 5 Gameplay Incredibly difficult movement. Can't shoot and move and ground is uneven making it hard to hit the exact spot you want. Hit detection is bizarre. You have to clean off teeth. Feels like Mario Sunshine but with only 8 directional aim and even worse hit detection. Massive lag when jumping or attacking. Props for including an ever present map, even if it isn't needed since the levels are so short and linear Jump, shoot, and kick (which is utterly useless) All animations take ridiculous time to complete Between levels play a Gyruss-style shooting level. But you don't ...