Top 10 Bargain Megadrive Games For Less Than £10

I've been doing a lot of tidying and clearing at home today...largely thanks again to the unpredictable British weather.

For those of you outside of the UK... it is true, and definitely NOT a rumour that we British have strange weather.

I came across my box of MegaDrive games (before I go further, the MegaDrive is known outside of Europe as the Genesis), and thought "Why not help your readers discover some good, cheap games?"

Now, I've compiled this list with 2 objectives in mind...

A) The game must be less than £10 or $16.80 for my US readers

B) It must be completely boxed with the manual

So, I done some digging around on various big retail stores such as eBay, Amazon and a couple of others to see what games I could find...I present to you below "The Top 10 MegaDrive Games For Less Than £10"....or $16.80.

P.S. This is in no particular order or rank, and the reason I've not mentioned the sites where the prices I've found are from, is in case they sell in the meantime.

Without further ado...

10. Sonic The Hedgehog

"Predictable", This is what I imagine you're probably thinking...

"How predictable that Sonic would be in this list!".

First off, I don't blame you for thinking this if you are... 9 times out of 10, when I say

"What's the first thing you think of when I say Sega" people will say

 "Sonic...I played that all my childhood"

or something along those lines.

Currently, I found this boxed with the manual online for £6.53

(Please note that you can't spin dash in the original Sonic...Grr!)

9. The Revenge Of Shinobi

Yes, it's true! you can pick up one of the greatest titles released for the MegaDrive / Genesis for a mere £7.99

Why get it? well if you're an experienced retro gamer you'll know exactly why...for those of you that are new to the retro lifestyle, it promises great fluid gameplay, great graphics and great sounds (sounds great doesn't it?).

Oh, lastly if you manage to get hold of the original 1989 release of this game you can have boss fights against Batman, Spiderman, Godzilla and The Terminator...later versions and re-releases omitted and adjusted the characters appearance to comply with the license rights.

8. Toy Story

As a huge fan of the movie series, to hear that there was a game released for the MegaDrive

(as well as SNES and PC) I thought "I must get it".

Whilst it's not as memorable and classic as other big titles, it is still a fantastic game to pick up and play, and features most of the characters from the film.

Again for a small fee of £8.53, this easily makes it's way onto the list.

The only thing that bugs me about this game? what is Buzz Lightyear's facial expression on the cover?

I guess It's probably one of those mysteries that just goes unsolved...

7. The Lion King

The Lion King is a great film...

 (I guess it's shameful to say I only watched it for the first time at age 21).

The game? also...brilliant (trying not to use the word great again).

It's got wonderful graphics, upbeat and jolly music and easy controls and follows closely to the film.

I found The Lion King at £7.99 and cannot recommend this enough...it needs to be in your collection (and mine for that matter).

One final note...watch the film if you haven't done so already!

6. Mortal Kombat

Known in the "Retro Underground" as the starter of violent video games, Mortal Kombat deserves it's place in this list.

Whilst by today's standards it is dated, back in the 90's shortly after it's release, governments around the globe were trying to completely ban or restrict the sale of this game due to it's excessive violence!

It also paved the way and strengthened the case for implementing ESRB ratings

 (US equivalent to PEGI)

But if you push this aside and want a good fighter game with fairly decent graphics,

memorable soundtracks, quotes and of course the history! then this is a game for you...

Retail price as of today £8.99

5. Greendog - The Beached Surfer Dude!

When I first got my MegaDrive, I said to a friend of mine "What games shall I get?".

His response was "GreenDog...I spent all my 18th birthday money on that game".

Sure enough, the game was memorable for my friend as he recited all the levels and the cheats codes!

Green Dog is a side scrolling adventure platformer with very colourful graphics, easy controls and is generally a typical example of a truly "fun" game.

But aside from just walking as the character, you have a skateboard, roller skates and a flying bike!

From the looks of things, it can be picked up very cheap! right now it's online at £4.58

Definitely worth a play for the cheap price...for me it's a great game to replay over again.

4. Altered Beast

Just barely squeezing in under the price limit is Altered Beast.

For many experienced retro game collectors, this is an absolute classic and in most personal collections!

So why am I recommending this to you? well, I'll start with what I believe is the best aspect of this game...you can play as different characters every time you defeat a blue wolf...not only this, but you grow bigger and stronger, which just adds constantly to the games playability!

There are 6 different characters in total: Human, Werewolf, Weredragon, Werebear, Weartiger and a Golden Werewolf.

Boss fights are also great fun in this game, but I won't say much more (for now!)

Go and grab yourself a copy at £8.90

3. Kid Chameleon

First of all, It was a struggle...a real struggle in fact to find this boxed with the manual for the set price of this blog post.

At exactly £9.98 I managed to find this (and buy it - sorry guys but it's one that I desperately needed for my collection and well...it's payday tomorrow).

Kid Chameleon is just a game that's everlastingly enjoyable!

So you're a kid named Casey, you notice that all the other kids have been playing this new VR video game in town...and disappeared.

As you discover that the games boss kidnaps any kid that can't beat the game, you decide to play and must use various masks to play as different characters in order to defeat the boss himself...

Heady Metal.

2. Jurassic Park

Released around the same time as the film, Jurassic Park made it's way as a playable

action platformer on the MegaDrive / Genesis.

You can play as either Dr Grant (played brilliantly in the film trilogy by Sam Neill) or as a Velociraptor.

Currently, the cheapest copy of the game I found was priced at £7.02 which is an absolute bargain for the complete set!

It will provide you with fun, colourful graphics and an awesome funky soundtrack.

Also, if you get chance, have a look at the TV commercial for this game...it's pretty damn cool

 (for the 90's anyway!).

1. Ecco The Dolphin

Another gem published by Sega is the first instalment of Ecco The Dolphin.

Yes, the storyline may sound ridiculous...but seriously don't let that put you off!

If you're still umming and ahhing, how about if I tell you that you can get this classic game complete for just £4.98?

It's a beautifully designed game with lovely colouring, interactive characters and (frustrating as hell) big level maps.

Alright so if you're new you're probably wondering what's the storyline, or what do you do as a dolphin?

Well...here's the gist of the plot:

You're a bottlenose dolphin, who travels through time and battles aliens in the ocean and on their spacecraft all to protect and save earth.

No, I'm not making that up, and despite it sounding ridiculous...it's a true classic and remains to this day...a fantastic game!

Game Highlight #2

Goldeneye 007

Rated worldwide as one of the best video games ever made,

(It was even in it's own display cabinet in a video game shop in Majorca last year!), and even more widely known as the best multiplayer game to have ever existed!

Goldeneye 007 makes it straight to this weeks "Game Of The Week".

First off...you don't even have to like the James Bond series to enjoy playing, quite simply,

Goldeneye 007 is just a great game to pickup and play.

Whether it's the single player or multiplayer mode you choose, it promises hours of fun, even 17 years after it's release date.

On the other hand, if you are a bit of a Bond fan then this is probably the closest you'll ever get to be him (sorry to break it to you).

In comparison to the earlier video games such as those released on the GameBoy, Megadrive and Master System etc. the game features various remixes of the James Bond theme, as well as dramatic and tense orchestral scores which really make you feel as if you're playing through the actual film...why they haven't done this in the later video game releases, I'll never know?

So overall then, what makes this game so utterly fantastic?

Guns, Girls & Martini...

Well, strictly speaking it doesn't feature Bond having a "shaken not stirred" Martini in the game,

but it does stick very closely to Bonds other traits.

There are guns, and there are girls in the game.

Most notably, Natalia Simonova who (if you've seen the film) is a programmer for the Russian Space Forces teams up with Bond to help stop Trevelyan's fiendish plans.

As you play through certain levels (in this example "Jungle") you'll be fighting alongside Natalya, who provides assistance in helping you take out the enemies. The only thing to be wary of is Natalya's health...if she's shot, then game over! you must restart the level again.

On one hand it's good that the game has stuck true to the film, and it's also good to see Bond not acting solo for a change...on the other hand, having Natalya can be a bit of a chore in the sense that you must ensure she doesn't run on ahead and get killed.

Going back to the first point on this sections heading "Guns", Goldeneye 007 provides you with a good range of weaponry...it's not packed full of guns and weaponry, but it certainly isn't skimpy.

The most commonly recognised gun in the game is of course Bonds signature weapon of choice...the Walther PPK.

It's simple, powerful enough to take down the enemies, and of course provides you as the gamer a more realistic and closer attachment as Bond.

Of course, there are more guns in the game that become available as you play through, for example the KF7 Soviet, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle etc. and my personal favourite, the "Klobb" (best used as a pair!).

The Soundtrack...

Goldeneye 007's soundtrack is my personal all-time favourite.

For those of you that have never played the game, it's not just your typical action sounding orchestral score...this soundtrack depicts Bond as a true secret agent / badass!

Chemical Facility is one of my prized levels, purely because of the music.

It's a grungy, dark and adrenaline filled version of the Bond theme which as a whole always makes me feel pumped up and ready to tear through the level (starting of course with shooting the hat off of the soldier in the toilet). But it's not just the Chemical Facility levels audio that makes the game great...Statue is truly horrifying!

I'll be honest, I'm not one that get's easily frightened when playing video games, but the dark eeriness of an empty park filled with statues of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin with enemies jumping out of nowhere attacking you...all the while with a scary booming orchestral score playing, really made me think twice about playing Goldeneye with no lights on again!

Though I could spend a lot longer describing the soundtrack to Goldeneye, I'm going to decide to wrap it up there.

As a whole, the music suits the atmosphere of the level you're playing and is very well composed and implemented into the game...honestly though, play through statue and comment back telling me that you honestly didn't feel even the slightest chill...I'll be impressed!

Multiplayer Mode...

Long before the day's of talking via a headset, using an onscreen keyboard or any other form of chat over a network, multiplayer with you and 3 others meant splitting the TV screen into 4 mini screens. Back in the 90's when we had huge great analogue TV sets with small displays, this was a huge pain to setup...especially when the TV set's had really long backs and lunging over them blindly to try and plug a scart lead in was a mission itself!

However, spending 20 minutes of arm aching pain to try and plug the video lead in or searching through the analogue TV's frequency to pickup the aerial connection from the N64 to the TV was totally worth it in Goldeneye's case.

There are a choice of 35 characters to play as, 12 of them being the most recognisable from the Bond series. Baron Samedi, Oddjob, MayDay and probably everybody's favourite villain turned allie...Jaws.

Multiplayer mode is packed full of different weapons, huge levels and evenings full of entertainment, it's not a multiplayer game where you can camp or hide and lay low etc. it's fast paced and crazy fun!

So now you know a general overview of Goldneye 007 and what the game is like, we'll have a talk about what you do in the levels.

Goldeneye is no exception to the typical "objective based" levels that so many games feature.

Before you begin a level, you're tasked with a set amount of objectives that you must complete.

Of course, should you miss an objective or ignore it, then the mission is over and you will have to restart the level from scratch because of that failure.

Aside this, the number of objectives and of course the difficulty of completing the tasks is dependant on what level you have the game set to i.e. agent, secret agent or 00 agent.

Shown right is Alec Trevelyan, who (if you've

seen the film) is played by Sean Bean.

Rare have done their very best in matching the characters to their real likeness, and again it makes the game feel far more closer to the film than later game instalments have.

Agent under fire for example...who was that Bond supposed to be?

Graphics...

6/10 - Ouch, it may sound quite hurtful to give the almighty Goldeneye 007 a low score in it's graphics quality, but remember...it's a game released way back in 1997. It hasn't aged well, and it really isn't great in it's graphic abilities. That aside, I will admit that the textures and patterns used in the game as well as the animation are good and it makes for smooth gameplay even when confronted with a big bunch of enemies.

When COMPLETELY surrounded by enemies, explosions, fire and gas etc. ...you'll notice a slow down in the gameplay, and yes, lag will happen.

It's important to remember that it's a 17 year old game and therefore it doesn't have enough power to keep up with the rendering of the display.

On a more positive note however, the colours in the game are vivid and the shading has been done well (just look at the canisters behind Trevelyan).

Sounds...

9/10 - Goldeneye as I mentioned earlier, has a wonderful soundtrack to it and in my opinion makes up for at least 25% of this games greatness.

From it's tense, suspense and action packed orchestral scores, to the darker, grittier and scarier music in the case of statue. The audio really adds to the feel of Bond and the missions he must complete.

Now in terms of sounds, the gun noises are realistic and it's actually pretty cool to hear the ricochet of bullets bouncing off of walls (a sound that many games don't include). Besides these, the footsteps in snow, computer terminals and glass shattering etc. are all included and close to how it would sound in real life...a big well done to the sound team, it's made up of many elements to make this shooter that evermore popular.

Controls & Gameplay...

8/10 - Controls on an N64 controller as a whole aren't fantastic...it's an awkward design if you're new to the console, but Goldeneye seems to optimise what it has...and does it well.

There are many different control options to set to help you get the best feel for the game that's right for you. These can be found in the games menu...or Bond's watch.

I would recommend solitaire if you're new to the N64, otherwise, play about and see what's best for you.

Gameplay is moderately paced, plenty of levels and fun AI...they're not the most intelligent AI on the planet, but it is fun, and they do pull of some sneaky moves (standing behind boxes, rolling toward you or running to gain additional help are all part of their master plan!).

Of course, playing as Bond you do also get gadgets to help you out along the way.

The laser watch, remote mines with detonator etc. all aid you in the field and makes for a more interesting and "secret agent" like feel for the game.

To wrap up, if you haven't played Goldeneye 007, it's one of those games you must play before you die!

It's fast, fluid, packed full of fun, and did I mention the amazing soundtrack?

For a mere £6 for the cartridge alone or (if you're a collector like myself) £15 for the game fully boxed with the manual, it's a small price to pay for so much hours on end fun that you'll get back in return!

On Holiday...

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the missing updates, I'm currently on holiday and will be blogging again within the week :-)

Ash

Game Highlight #1

Fahrenheit

First off, a small confession... I've heard a lot of good things about this game, but it's never really appealed to me that much, and I'll be completely honest here...looking on the rear cover, I thought it looked like another violent and grotesque action game.

Of course 9 years later after it's release back in 2005, I finally found the game in a shop in town for about £3 and thought "right I may as well give it a go, if it's no good I can sell it online to someone that would want this game and for the sake of £3 it's well worth giving it a chance".

Well...after buying it and putting it in the game box for a rainy day, I decided last Sunday to get it out, and give it a go.

The game begins with you in a toilet stall, and showcases you as a crazed man self-harming and preparing to commit a murder. As you progress through the game in it's self claimed "interactive movie" environment, you must find out if you're a murderer or victim of some sort of satanism or black magic etc.

So first of all, why is this the game of the week?

Well for a start, it's not a game that just gives you the plot and then you start, progress, find out and finish etc. oh no! it's a lot more complicated and stirring than that!





Every decision you make affects your mental health and mood...

As the game begins, you'll start to find that everything you can interact with can either raise or lower the way you're feeling. Playing as the murderer for example (or victim of uncontrollable darkness if that's the way the story uncovers...) having a sip of water will gently lift your spirits and provide reassurance and slight calming, however, should you pick up a photo of your ex girlfriend...be prepared to sink into an even lower depression.

OK so far that sounds a little obvious right? when you feel ill or panicky and have a sip of water, we all know that it helps slightly, such as it is in the game. Similarly if you found a picture of you and an ex in a "happy memories" pose, I'm sure it would bring a bit of sadness back...well what about alcohol?

In the game there's a bottle of gin in your apartment, now in reality if you're drunk you can either be happy, singing, laughing etc. or you could be asleep, stumble or even violent...do you do what I did on the game and think "getting plastered should temporarily relieve this man of his guilt and pain" or is that not such a wise idea?

I won't reveal any spoilers, but just know that what may seem like a good idea may not always be...

Playing as three characters...whose side do you take?

Well, officially you don't really take anybody's side...but you can (and will I gurantee it!) deliberately favour and want to help either Lucas or Carla and Tyler (who work together as the investigators trying to capture the criminal behind the murder).

In the game, there will be certain points where you can really do your best to evade any suspicion from the police i.e. coincidentally walking through the park next to the same police offer you almost confessed everything to! or hiding all traces of evidence when the police come to your door early in the game...more on that later!

Equally, when playing as Carla and Tyler, you will interact with other characters and the environment to get as much evidence and links to draw you in closer to the murderer...but do you want to discover and arrest Lucas...or do you take sympathy with him and let him discover what's happening? therefore purposely not interacting or digging deeper when playing as the police? It's your choice...

Tensity

It may only be one word to start off, but the tensity in this game is overwhelming.

There are plenty of moments throughout the game which are just simply nail-biting or chilling!

The morning after the murder which takes place, there's a knock on the door followed by "NYPD open up!". Lucas then proceeds by saying something along the lines of "that's it, they know it was me, I'm done for". As the clock counts down, you have to do everything you can to hide any evidence linking you to the crime! as you near the end of the time limit, it's time to bite the bullet and answer the door...will you really be found out so early in the game or will it just be a moment where you can breathe a deep sigh and relax because it's something innocent...don't expect me to reveal it...

So aside from the tense moments, the mysteries, plot twists and the interaction with other characters etc. there are also some fast-paced interactive cutscenes throughout the game.

To the left is an action sequence where Lucas is so nervous he hallucinates and giant arthropods start to chase and attack him.


Using both the analogue sticks you must press the directions indicated by the light within a couple of seconds to work your way out of a bad situation.

In terms of interacting with characters, there are no dedicated set dialogues...YOU choose what you want to ask.

To the right is a screenshot from the beginning of the game when you talk to the waitress about the murder in the men's restroom.

As you sit down you have a few options as to how you steer the conversation. Do you try and get a description of the murderer or victim first? or jump straight in to asking about the victims behaviour?



So now you know a little more about the storyline, the way you can control the game and the various action sequences and interactions, let's talk about the graphics, sounds and controls.


Graphics...
7.5/10 - The graphics in the game are very good. Faces, objects and the environment as a whole are very well drawn in the game and the same goes for the interactive cutscenes and animation throughout.


Sounds...
8/10 - The sounds in the game are perfect. Starting with the simple things like having a drink of water, having a shower or using the computer etc. the developers really went the extra mile to get every sound crammed into the game, and again, I know I've mentioned it in the previous posts, but to have even the minor sounds included make this "interactive movie" game, feel realistic and closer to home.
Aside this is the soundtrack which varies radically.
You'll be playing through the game in tense, nerve racking moments with dark, atmospheric music playing in the background (which, is utterly fantastic and does justice to the tense moments), only to complete the action sequence, breathe a sigh of relief and then continue on thinking "what next", only to then be greeted by a funky soundtrack and a mini-game such as basketball for Tyler or Boxing with Carla.


Controls...
7/10 - The controlling of the characters can at times seem a little difficult, especially within small spaces.
Like most of the small area, dodgy camera games they do have their annoying moments and Fahrenheit unfortunately is no exception.
Despite this however, Fahrenheit generally does have good controls and most of the time it's easy enough to navigate around. Included in this section are the interactive cutscenes that do all the movements for you, but rely on you as the player to press the analogue sticks in the correct direction to continue without encountering any problems. Put simply, the controls are nice and easy, and during the game it is self explanatory as to what to press to progress.

So as an overall score for Fahrenheit, I'd rate it as an 8.5/10

If you're like me and thought this game didn't look all that appealing from the cover or word of mouth etc. do yourself a favour and spend out the measly few pound this game is now priced at online...you won't regret it...