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Retro Gaming 90’s-Battletoads/Double Dragon: (1993)

When we think about underrated beat em up classics from the early 90’s one of the few titles that instantly comes to mind is the crossover game involving Battletoads & Double Dragon from 1993. The Battletoads/Double Dragon best em up game was released for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo along with game with all versions including multiplayer gameplay with the exception of the handheld version. Both the Battletoads & Double Dragon series started back in the 80’s and by the early 90’s they had arguably declined in popularity. A crossover game between Double Dragon & Battletoads captured the interest of many people and for the most part it received many favorable reviews by critics and gaming publications following its release in ’93. The plot for Battletoads/Double Dragon saw the main antagonists from both series Dark Queen and the Shadow Warriors attempting to rule the galaxy. The storyline sees the Battletoads working with both Billy & Jimmy two of the main protagonists from the Double Dragon series in order to stop the threat to Earth created by a spaceship known as the Colossus. This game features five playable characters along with having an interesting feature regarding its gameplay.

During multiplayer gameplay players were able to advance forward to different levels along with their partner despite perishing within a certain stage. While the beat em up gameplay was pretty standard the concept of a Battletoads/Double Dragon crossover game blew everyone’s mind back in the early 90’s While it might be debatable which version of Battletoads/Double Dragon was the best many people were surprised that a NES port was released. The NES was about ten years old by ’93 and the Super NES had been in retail since 1990. Also, the Sega Genesis port of Battletoads/Double Dragon had impressive visuals that rivaled the SNES version of the game following its release. Even though, Battletoads/Double Dragon is not talked about much nowadays retro gamers who grew up in the 90’s would probably consider this game an underrated beat em up classic.

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Was Streets Of Rage 2 Sega’s best game for the Genesis console?

When we think about some of the best games that came from the 16-bit Genesis console from the early 90’s its almost impossible to have that conversation without thinking about the critically acclaimed Streets Of Rage 2 title from 1992. Streets Of Rage 2 was arguably one best beat em up video games from the early 90’s along with the likes of TMNT: Turtles In Time which was released in arcade centers in ’91 before appearing on the SNES during ’92. Streets Of Rage 2 was a dramatic improvement over its ’91 prequel in terms of visuals and audio since more 16-bit than it was 8-bit. Streets Of Rage 2 was also considered to be a more memorable entry within the series than its predecessor Streets Of Rage 3 which was subjected to criticism due to its level of difficulty and censorship from the original Japanese version of the game entitled Bare Knuckle III. While Streets Of Rage 3 had improved gameplay over SOR II the soundtrack was not nearly as memorable as its predecessor which was also something that was subjected to criticism by fans of the series. There were more people who preferred Streets Of Rage 2 more than any other entry within the series due to its basic plot along with the fact that soundtracks blended very well with each stage within the game.

In fact, there are some people who would argue that Streets Of Rage 2 alone was better than the entire Final Fight trilogy from ’89-’95. Either way, Streets Of Rage 2 is one of Sega’s most high profile games on the Genesis console outside of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. While Streets Of Rage 2 may not have sold as much on the Sega Genesis during the early 90’s its still considered to be a memorable 16-bit gem almost 30 years later. Streets Of Rage 2 without a doubt was the best beat em up game that Sega has ever made; but to proclaim that SOR II video game that Sega has made in general does not seem valid in the eyes of too many people.

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Will the Sega Mega Drive Mini surpass the SNES Classic in sales?

As many people know Nintendo plans on discontinuing the production of the SNES Classic very soon despite the level of success the 16-bit retro mini console has achieved since its release back in September 2017. However, on the plus side the Mega Drive Mini will be available in retail next year and since the SNES Classic will eventually sell out soon it will give Sega’s retro based console the opportunity to shine all throughout 2019. The question is whether or not the Mega Drive Mini will surpass the SNES in relation to sales next year. With games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Streets of Rage II, Golden Axe, Comix Zone and others the Mega Drive Mini is something that retro gamers who grew up in the early 90’s would definitely want to check out next year.

While the SNES Classic managed to reach at least 5 million units worldwide in sales in roughly over a year there are many who question whether or not Sega’s Mega Drive Mini can achieve the same feat. While the PS1 Mini received mixed to negative reviews since its release on December 3rd and is unlikely to be a successful as the SNES Classic the Mega Drive Mini has the Pittsburgh to reach at least one million units in sales within the first few months or even weeks. Its going to be interesting to see how successful the Mega Drive Mini becomes following its release in 2019.

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Should Metal Slug 2 have been ported for the Sega Dreamcast in 1998?

When we think about underrated titles from the late 90’s that did not get as much attention as it should have one of the many games that comes to mind is Metal Slug 2. As people know the Metal Slug series originated back in ’96 and started during a time where gaming was starting to evolve with the masses beginning to favor 3D gameplay over 2D video games which were popular years prior. Metal Slug 2 was initially released in arcade centers during February 1998 in Japan and since then the game was ported for the Neo Geo along with the Neo Geo CD that same year. Some might find it strange that Metal Slug 2 never appeared on game systems such as the PS1 or Sega Saturn especially considering the fact that its ’96 predecessor appear on those same consoles.

What was even more mind blowing was the fact that Metal Slug 2 never appeared on the Sega Dreamcast in ’98. The Metal Slug series was almost as popular as King of Fighters and we got to see KOF ’98 on the Sega Dreamcast back in ’99. Metal Slug 2 could have definitely stood out more on the Sega Dreamcast than it would have on the PS1 between 1998-1999. But since the Sega Dreamcast was not quite as popular as the PS1 or the N64 during the late 90’s it may not have done too well in relation to sales.

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Could LandStalker have been successful on the Sega Saturn?

When it comes down to action-adventure classics for the 16-bit Sega Genesis console one of the many titles that instantly comes to mind is LandStalker which came out in 1992. Despite, how popular LandStalker was back in the early 90’s it was a game that was often overshadowed by other titles on the Sega Genesis such as the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. There some who argue that LandStalker was a title that could have stood out was more than it did if the game was released for the Sega Saturn opposed to the Genesis. But as many people know the Sega Saturn was not nearly as popular or successful as the Sega Genesis was during the 90’s .

In fact, if LandStalker was released as a Sega Saturn exclusive during the mid 90’s it would probably be a forgotten title altogether. Maybe on the Sega Dreamcast LandStalker would have stood out a bit more than it would on the Sega Saturn but the 16-bit Genesis console was were this game truly belonged. A direct sequel to LandStalker would have been nice too see on the Sega Saturn but it would most likely have ended up as a forgotten title or an underrated gem during the mid 90’s.

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Should DarkStalkers: The Night Warriors have been ported to the Sega Saturn?

When we think about popular 2D fighting games that really missed out on being released for the Sega Saturn back in the mid 90’s DarkStalkers: The Night Warriors is one of the few titles that comes to mind. There was no question that DarkStalkers: The Night Warriors was popular in arcade centers back in the mid 90’s and despite being ported for the PS1 back in ’96 the game was arguably overshadowed by the likes of Tekken 2, Street Fighter Alpha 2 and others which were also popular fighting titles during that time period. In fact, since having DarkStalkers for the N64 was not possible in ’96 Capcom could have definitely brought the game to the Sega Saturn that year since 2D games were still popular on that particular game system.

But then again in countries like America and Europe the PS1 was way more popular than Sega Saturn on a mainstream level. In fact, if DarkStalkers appeared on the Sega Saturn instead of the PS1 the game would not have have became as popular as it did. However, seeing a Sega Saturn port of DarkStalkers: The Night Warriors between ’95-’97 would have been pretty cool back in the day.

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Could backwards compatibility have helped the Sega Dreamcast in sales?

When many people think about the Sega Dreamcast they remember how cool the 128-bit console was during the 90’s especially since it was ahead of its time. Despite, how cool the Sega Dreamcast was it managed to sell less than 10 million units worldwide mainly due to stiff competition coming from consoles such as the PS1 along with the Nintendo 64. There are some who argue that if Dreamcast was backwards compatible with the Sega Saturn back in the late 90’s the console could have been more successful than it actually was. However, the idea of making video game consoles that were backwards compatible did not start to catch until after Sony released the PlayStation 2 back in 2000.

However, backwards compatibility could have definitely worked in Sega’s favor for the Dreamcast console especially since titles such as Virtua Fighter 2, Nights into Dreams, Shining Force III, Sonic Jam and others were popular in the Sega Saturn. But it would have been unlikely that backwards compatibility for Dreamcast would have helped the console surpass the likes of N64 and especially the PS1 in sales overall.

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Could Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have been a huge success on Sega Saturn?

As many people know Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was one of the most popular 16 bit platform titles of the war 90’s. Sonic 3 had tremendous success on the Sega Genesis and despite not selling as much as the first two Sonic games it was and still is considered to be a memorable platform classic. While Sonic 3 released in 1994 there are some who question whether or not the game could have sold as much on the Sega Saturn following its release in ’95. Its unlikely that the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would have been a huge success on the Sega Saturn to the same extent as it was for the Genesis console considering how much it ended up selling in retail during the mid to late 90’s.

While the Sega Saturn ended up selling over 9 million units worldwide the Sega Genesis sold over 30 million between 1988-1997. Also, considering the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 was on the Sega Genesis having the third game on Sega Saturn would not have made too much sense. Overall, releasing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the Genesis console worked out well and seeing how popular Sonic CD was in ’93 releasing the game for the Sega CD would have been a better alternative than the Sega Saturn at the time.

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Should there have been a Comix Zone game for Dreamcast?

When we think about classic games from the Sega Genesis during the early 90’s that did not have a sequel one of the top games that instantly comes to mind is Comix Zone. There is no doubt that Comix Zone was such a unique beat em up game that deserved a sequel and it was probably one of the titles that Sega missed out on as far as turning it into a series is concerned. While 2D gaming was starting to get old around 1998 there are some who wonder whether or not a 3D Comix Zone title could have worked on the Sega Dreamcast. On one hand seeing a 3D Comix Zone would have been interesting.

On the other hand having a Comix Zone game in 3D could of ended up being a disaster if Sega strayed to far away from the formula which made the 1995 title a success. A 2D sequel of Comix Zone would have definitely been something worth checking out on the Sega Dreamcast between the 1998-2000 time period. But as we all know Sega has shown hardly any interest whatsoever in turning Comix Zone into a series.

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Could the PS2 Shinobi game have been more successful on the Sega Dreamcast?

As many people know the Shinobi series was very popular during the early 90’s when various games appeared on consoles such as the Sega Genesis and Game Gear. However, despite how popular the 2D action platform series was back in the early 90’s for whatever reason we never saw a Shinobi game for the Sega Dreamcast between 1998-2001. While it was that video game developer Overworks could have made a Shinobi title for the Sega Dreamcast plans regarding the game’s development did not start until 2001. It was also back in ’01 when the Sega Dreamcast was officially discontinued so we ended up getting a 3D Shinobi title for the PlayStation 2 in 2002.

While the 2002 Shinobi game was well received by fans and critics many would argue that the game could have possibly stood out more on the Sega Dreamcast especially since the console did not have too many big titles to aside from the Sonic Adventure series, Crazy Taxi and Shenmue. The PlayStation 2 had so many games such as Grand Theft Auto III & Vice City along with Gran Turismo 3 & 4 which were best sellers on the PS2. During the early 00’s there was no question that Sony had officially taken the lead during the console wars and the ’02 Shinobi game was definitely the best game console to have it on during that time period.