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Sonic 2
by Graham1984
Sonic the hedgehog 2 was the follow up to perhaps the most classic and original megadrive game ever Sonic the hedgehog which pitted Sonic against the evil Dr Robotnik. The game was released in 1992 and added a new character that you could play with in Miles "Tails" Prower, You had the choice of either Sonic or Tails on their ... own or what was then considered a multiplayer format with both although seeing as Sonic was the lead character the camera would always keep central on the screen as soon as Tails was out of screenshot you would have to wait for him to fly in and land before player two could control him again. The multiplayer format had benefits as Tails although could get hurt your ring total would not be lost from him getting hit so you could get him to do all the work if needed with the end level bosses.
Like the first installation to this series the game was a simple left to right format platform game where you would navigate through the level defeating enemies by either jumping on them or rolling through them using the only updated move which was a charged spin you could use by ducking down and and repeatedly pressing one of the three buttons. If you hurt yourself by landing on spikes or taking hits you would lose all your accumulated rings (100 at the same time would get you an extra life) and they would spew everywhere leaving you vulnerable to attack as if you get hit with no rings you lose a life.
As you navigate through the levels there were randomly placed checkpoints that you would restart from if you died but if you had accumulated 50 rings when you hit these checkpoints a ring of stars would swirl on top of it allowing you to jump into them and activate the bonus level.
The bonus level on sonic two was a 3D gulley/gauntlet that you would run down collecting rings and avoiding bombs with Tails that if you hit you would lose a few rings. If by the end you got enough rings you would get an emerald crystal that when you collect all of them (7)and by getting 50rings and jumping in air in the normal levels would turn you into super sonic.
Super Sonic- There was two ways to get super Sonic on this game 1) As above by getting emerald crystals or 2) At the start menu you go to sound test play track 19,65,09,17 then retart the game press A+start at the main menu and in the level select screen you get put into you go to sound test again and play tracks 04, 01, 02, 06 and a ring noise sounds meaning the cheat has worked..... I remember that cheat off by heart sadly after 22 years due to using it and playing the game so many times (people who have the xbox 360 megadrive collection the cheat still works!)
There was a out of main story multiplayer too where two players compete against each other to the finish line, as either Sonic or Tails, in a split-screen race through three of the regular single player levels; Emerald Hill, Casino Night, and Mystic Cave, and a special stage. If one player finishes one of the levels, the other player must finish the level in 60 seconds or the level ends and the first player that crossed wins. In the regular levels, players are ranked in five areas (score, time, rings held at the end of the level, total rings collected, and number of item boxes broken). The player with who wins in the most number of categories, wins the level. In the Special Stage, players compete to obtain the most rings.The mode ends when all stages have been completed, or if a player loses all their lives, in which his/her opponent will instantly win the series.
When the Sonic and Knuckles add on cartridge came out it was possible to slot in either Sonic 1 or 2 and play through the same format but with Knuckles as a bonus player.
All in all Sonic 2 was another classic simple game from the 90's period that I loved playing in with good quality games that you would play endlessly happily with it's at the time good graphics and a nice mix of different levels and enemies to keep myself amused. It cost about £39:99 from woolworths when it was released but for a child of 8years old at the time it sure saw its moneys worth of gameplay and was one of what I consider only a handfull of true Sonic games compared to the ruined format that followed.
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Streets of Rage 2 (Sega Megadrive)
by Graham1984
Early inthe 90's the streets of rage trilogy kicked off with streets of rage then followed that up swiftly with streets of rage 2 (known as bare knuckle 2 in japan) The game consists of four availible players two of which were new from the first game Max thunder a wrestler and Eddie "skate" hunter (sammy in japan) which is the ... brother of adam a cop from the first game. These two newbies team up with the two other originals Axel and Blaze.
The games itself is your typical left to right sega game that pits you agains loads of street thugs fat baseball players the odd flying maniac and a few kung fu experts and the odd annoying women with an electric whip and filling them in sums up the basics of the game.
Its amusing that many of the people you fight have the same name as each other they look the same and dress the same and there is roughly only 15 opponants (if that) that vary. The people you fight have a health bar in this game unlike the first where that was reserved just for the first and its weapons have changed slightly such as no more baseball bat and now each character has its own "sepcial" move as opposed to the police car from the first.
The typical funky soundtrack is there while you walk about breaking heads and its nice to see women get equal rights to a arse kicking too as they are some of the more annoying opponents with their hig heel jumping kicks.
Round 1: Downtown
Round 2: Bridge Under Construction
Round 3: Amusement Park
Round 4: Baseball Stadium
Round 5: The Ship
Round 6: Mr. X's Private Island
Round 7: Munitions Plant
Round 8: Syndicate Stronghold
These are the eight rounds you work your way through to get to fight Mr x at the end where the only ending is the good one where you save adam and escape the island you are on.
I find it amusing how now every game is scrutinised for age restrictions but here we have a prime example of a game that was sold to young kids where the object is to beat up everyone even women with knifes and poles and no one cared.
Overall i think this was a good upgrade from the first and in some respect better than the 3rd in the trilogy. I even remember that there is a extra life in the bottom left corner of the first level and same again when you exit the truck later on.............. I played this game nearly 20yrs ago.... how sad is that.
I have used this review in the xbox section as I have the game currently on the megadrive collection although it is still exactly the same as when I owned this on the megadrive in the early 90's
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Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP 2
by loulou22
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II - Mega Drive
Firstly, I would like to point out that Dooyoo keep all the Mega Drive games filed under Amiga games so this review is in the correct place.
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II is a single player Formula One racing game which was released on the Sega Mega Drive back in ... 1992. The game came as all Mega Drive games did in a box between Video and DVD size. The box contained an instruction manual and a 16 bit cartridge specifically for the Mega Drive. This game is also known as Super Monaco GP II featuring Ayrton Senna.
Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II was another of the games I received when I received my Sega Mega Drive for my 9th birthday, my family weren't too sure what kind of games I would like so they bought me a random mixture including this one.
When the game starts you are given the options of Free Practice, Senna GP and World Championship Racing. The free practice is as it sounds, a chance to race around the various tracks at your leisure with no other racers and no time limits, I used to enjoy this as a good way to practice my driving skills as quite honestly looking back, I really sucked at this game!
If you select the Senna GP you will be racing in just one race on one of a few tracks which you can choose. At the start of the race you will need to complete a kind of time trial lap, ideally you want to be as quick as you can in this lap as this will determine your starting position for the race. After the race you will be shown your lap times and overall position. I still find it really hard to finish in a decent position on this race, it makes no difference which track I race on, I can almost guarantee I will finish in 12th to 16th place out of 16 drivers including myself!
If you are better than me at this game you may want to take part in the World Championship Racing, in this mode you will take part in a number of races around the world based loosely on the Formula One tracks from the time the game was made. Like in the Senna GP you will first complete a lap to determine your starting position and then you must race the other drivers to finish hopefully somewhere within the top 3 out of a total of 16. If you can do this in most of the races then you will stand a chance of being World Champion. This title is achieved with a points system so depending on your finishing positions in the races you will be awarded with points, at the end of the championship the points are totalled up and the driver with the most is the Champion. Needless to say from my poor performance I have never come anywhere near being World Champion but I do enjoy trying.
The variety of Formula One cars in the game is minimal and really the only personalised choices you make are whether you want an automatic or manual gear box, my personal recommendation is automatic as it is easier to concentrate on the race.
While I found the races really hard to actually get a decent place in, the controls of the game are actually really easy with a button for the accelerator, one for the brake and the directional pad to control the direction of your car. I think the reason I rank so bad in the races is because I try to cut corners as I do in other racing games and forget that in this particular game it really slows the car down and the other drivers overtake. Acceleration is rather slow but once you are up to speed the rolling screen moves pretty quick and the races are of a reasonable speed.
The game is endorsed by Ayrton Senna, however the only time he really comes into the game, other than on the box and the title screens, is in between races loading and occasionally after a race where you will see a picture of him and a handy hint or tip about racing. Other than this he doesn't really come into it too much.
** Graphics and Sound **
The graphics in the game are basic but good. The rolling screen is relatively smooth, the scenery often has a squared effect to it as did most games at the time. The sound is really irritating and when I play it is often muted within seconds, I cannot stand to play the game while listening to the high pitch noise of the Formula One cars
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** Price and Availability **
If you want to get your hands on this game you are best to look on eBay or visit your local vintage or specialist games shop where you should be able to pick up a copy for no more than a few pounds.
** My Experience and Opinion **
Although I really suck at this game I still actually enjoy playing it and as long as I can mute the sound I will quite happily sit for ages aimlessly racing around the free practice tracks or seeing how badly I can loose in the championship races. I would recommend it as I know it is mainly my driving that makes me unable to do very well in the game, but I think a gamer who is generally good at racing games would really enjoy playing this Mega Drive classic. I am however only rating it as 4 stars as that constant Formula One car noise really goes through me.
Thanks for reading :)
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