By 1993 Sega of America had a bit of an idiotic "No Japanese Games" policy, hence why all first party games were made by them in-house. Hency why we never got this, Monster World IV, Golden Axe 3 Etc.
Really love the graphics in this game, it has that Japanese flair with accurate pixel-art and bright high-contrast colors (reminds me of other Sonic clones like Socket or High Seas Havoc, and maybe Treasure games a bit) with a bit of Sonic and Megaman (especially industrially-themed levels and bosses) thrown in. I guess there's a reason why all indie-delevoped platformers are looking similiar to this one and rooting for this Japanese Sonic-inspired style, not sloppy Western one like Awesome Possum or Bubsy.
indeed, Japanese design and colors are great and was what gave japanese games an edge on 16 bits consoles that occidental games didn't have because of poor animation, poor design sprites and poor color choices. The only impressive games with great chara design and animation are few and far between comix zone comes to mind
In the year 30xx, Megaman was defeated and Zero has been tasked to get him working again in Dr. Lights stead. He comes across another defeated hero named Zool. He combines parts using Dr. Lights tech and tools. Pulseman was born...
This really is an amazing showcase of the Genesis hardware, but my biggest complaint isn't the lack of enemies, but a lot of the hectic flashing backgrounds. While they certainly are colorful, they do give me headaches with all the effects going on. I'm not sure if playing on a CRT would lessen the intensity, but as it is I find it hard to play this game.
I was privileged to have access to the very ahead of it's time Sega Channel as a young child and played the crap out of it in the mid 90s. For me as I get older it's more akin to like a theme park ride than a full on action game and that's okay! With it's heavy emphasis on visuals that can be almost psychedelic at times and the game play speed with playing around with the lightning ball that makes it fun. I would have liked to see what kind of sequel they could have made for the Saturn though!
i played Pulseman quite a bit during my SEGA Channel days, i thought it was mighty impressive for what it was, the voices in this game is startling in clarity for one thing.
This game looks fantastic. From the spritework, animations, level design, parallax scrolling, to use of colors in the environments. It knocks it out of the park. SEGA really shot themselves in the foot not importing bangers like this.
I rmember reading about this in the official Sega UK magazine in 1995. Really wanted it to come out over here. I eventually played it a few years later and love it.
Pulseman has a lot of charm and it's a pretty cool character. I imagine a modern remake being some mix of Mega Man & Rocket Knight Adventures with a bit of Viewtiful Joe mixed in.
A little tip for those interested in playing the game: When Pulseman doesn't have enough energy for his Volteccer, he lets out a little shock move covering his body. This seems useless at first, but it has a TON of invincibility frames, making it super easy to phase right through most attacks and trivializes the boss fights.
It's been a long time since I've played it so I could be wrong, but isn't there also a way to abuse his charge dash move? Like if u get good with it you can speed thru parts faster than normal. Skip through screens practically like a teleport? Not that I would recommend playing that way, but it is fun to fool around with.
That is an awesome looking game. You can tell they tried. My initial thoughts were the sprites could have been smaller, could have opened up more stage view and improved performance but would have been harder to nail the cartoony look. Sega really should have released this full retail in the US. It's like Sega are their own worst enemy.
@@fakeshemp9599 I mean it kinda was with it being on Sega channel but officially in physical form, no. It's sad because as SLX said even the Japanese release got very minimal print copies meaning it's a fairly rare game even over there. This would be an absolute perfect game to be released on the NSO service what was it being one of the rarest Sega games there are and non-existent here in the US.
I've had an original Japanese copy of Pulseman for about 20 years, and it's decent. It's nowhere near my favorites on the system, but worth playing all the same. I think my favorite Game Freak game is still Drill Dozer, though. Much like you mentioned, Pulseman is really all about learning the stage layouts, and its action is nowhere near some of its contemporaries at the time like Gunstar Heroes (or really any of the Treasure games on the Genesis), Contra Hard Corps, or Ranger X. Good stuff, though, amd excellent, even-handed review!
I've never heard of this game and it looks gorgeous. At first glance it looks like a SNES title, and reminds me of Marko's magic Football in terms of having nice, large sprites on screen. This is truly a hidden gem I had no idea about. Well done.
Honorable mention is yu yu hakusho fighting game on the genesis which displayed great color choices to make it a colorful for a system that display limited colors and color palette. All of these games should've been ported in 1994 in order to maintain market shares and prove the nay-sayers wrong.
Excellent review, Mel! 😁 This game is a masterpiece, to me. The Stage 1-1 theme, Neo Tokyo, is my favourite tune of the game, and I put it onto my phone, earlier...! Pulseman also fights his brother, at one point! Completing the game is very cool, and [☆SPOILER ALERT!☆⬇️]... ...the fate of the final boss/Pulseman's father, Dr. Waruyama, is left dubious, once you defeat him, at the end... ⚡🎮👊😎🌈💖
I taught i knew all megadrive games, this one is unknown to me. Still how could i jave missed that one. Thx for your work and passion to make us love the megadrive 30 years later
Good review. I must say this has been on my "to play" list. I really enjoy the art style and the use of colors. It definitely looks like a SNES title which is funny how Gamefreak would go on to do Pokemon and work with Nintendo exclusively. It also reminds me of a title they did on the Game boy Advance Drilldozer which was pretty fun.
Game Freak also released the Badass Elephant in every console except Nintendo ones. They've been wanting to make a big non-Pokémon title but none of their releases is popular. I think they should make another Pulseman. They don't dislike it, considering that Porygon-Z and Rotom look like Pulseman; also Pikachu's Volt Tackle sounds and is performed similarly to Pulseman's Voltecker.
It's easily one of my all-time Sega favorite games, and I love it. You butchered the story a little: Dr Yoshiyama was a kind genius that created sentient AI, whom he fell in love with, so he transferred his consciousness into the virtual world. They will have an offspring that sums both worlds, Pulseman. Dr Yoshiyama spent so many years into the virtual world that his mind broke and twisted, becoming Dr Waruyama and setting of to conquer the world. You not only have to ultimately defeat your own father, but also your hair brother, Veil, whom he favors, and whose also stronger than you. Story was damn dark and mature specially for its time and platform. Also also, the game contained 65 digitalized voice PHRASES. I haven't seen anything like that on the Genesis.
@@adamdenardis5438 Which is funny because it means that it kind of was but it also wasn't. Sega channel was the equivalent of releasing something digitally these days. The minute it ceased to exist so did the game. But the fact that even in Japan and got a very limited run tells me it was always going to be a pretty limited game.
Tried this underrated Game Freak Platformer on Wii U via the Wii Menu and enjoyed it. Its a mix of Mega Man, Astro Boy minus the flight capability for the hero of this game Tatsunoko Productions works and the elements that set the basis for Pokémon such as Volteccer being used as inspiration for one of Pikachu's Signature Moves Volt Tackle during the Gen 3/Gen 4 era of Pokémon, the bird like enemy would look like Natu and its evolved form Xatu plus Neo Tokyo stage theme sounding too similar to Barry's Battle Theme in Pokémon Diamond Pearl Platinum and its recent remakes.
I had just started getting bored with 16-bit gaming and losing interest in my Genesis/Sness...mom surprises me with Sega Channel...sucked back into it all by Pulseman on the service. Didn't realize it was Sega Channel exclusive in US at the time, but realized the quality immediately.
It's a little bit extra crazy that the only other time this game is released was on the Wii virtual console and that too has been taken down and discontinued. This poor game cannot catch a break. Hopefully it'll make its way to the NSO service eventually. That could finally give this a game the big market attention it deserves.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu can people who kept wii system still play it locked to that hardware? It would have been a better game on Genesis Mini than a Darius port.
@@caseyhayes4590 I'm not quite clear what you're asking. You can't access the store anymore and the only way you could play something like this on it would be to mod or hack a Wii. If you downloaded it onto the console it would still be there but if you deleted it it's gone forever now.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yeah I wasn't sure if you downloaded it and kept it if you could still access it. Still kind of ridiculous locking it to one physical system. I'm an old man with my love of physical media I guess.
We got this on the Sega Channel in the US. Makes me more nostalgic for the pioneering service than this game in particular, but I did enjoy this one for a few hours.
I bought Pulseman in 1996 the picture on the cartridge looked like Mega Man that attracted me I had no knowledge of this game only the pictures how it look but boy did I have a fun time playing this game the music soundtrack is awesome and graphics is very good the gameplay was fun enemies wasn't challenging but still enjoyable, for me it had the Sonic feel to it but not as fast as Sonic. Pulseman is one of my favorite Sega 16 Bit games I remember connecting my Sega Mega Drive to my HiFi stereo system and pump up the volume to listen to the Techno Beats soundtrack a lot of memories playing this game I`m glad I found it
I remember seeing this game on a video and tried to find the name desperately. The design was such sooo cool Also, I would love a remake of this game. Can you imagine how those cool designs and graphics would look with modern technology?.. damn
Pulseman was one of the first gaming curiosities i ever became aware of. A local peruvian gaming magazine talked about it before browsing the internet was common here. However I don't recall them saying this was available on a Sega system, which i find weirdest part
Really like this one, tough I admit it's one of those that is more fun the 2nd time around. Once you kinda learn how it works (specially dash charging and flip kick with their invencivility frames).
Cheers! If I didn't know this was a Sega title, I'd bet this was a 32-bit Playstation game! In reality, its effects emind me of 32-bit Megaman entries (8 and X4-X6) a lot.
we need a GLEYLANCER review SLX, i only found out about it a few months ago on my PS5, and i played it so much, such a good game, i can't believe it was a megadrive game, it looks stellar.
Thank goodness a year after this review, Pulseman is available as part of the Sega Genesis Online portion of Nintendo’s Switch Online + Expansion pack service. It’s also kinda cool that Pokémon’s 4th generation of titles (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum) have ALOT of Pulseman references
It is a shame this game never got physical Genesis release back in the 90's. This game was really impressive for a Genesis title! I remember playing this years ago on Wii. The levels looked great, but, yeah, there was some cheap level design and the lack of enemies made some levels feel quite barren. Though, it even rivaled some action platformers on the SNES! Well, Game Freak has their hands full with Pokémon now, but I'd love to see another developer like WayForward make a sequel. Maybe even a sequel to Drill Dozer, too? Game Freak has made some really interesting platformers!
I was late to the party on JP Mega Drive collecting. Of the ones listed I have Pulseman, Gleylancer and Monster World IV. I would LOVE a copy of Eliminate Down and Snow Bros, but I’m not spending $1500 for a game. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll get really, really, really, REALLY lucky. Lol
One of my favorite games being reviewed by one of my favorite UA-camrs? That's shocking! Lame puns aside, emulation is how I discovered Pulseman way back in 2008. Never owned a Wii and I (regrettably) got rid of my Genesis around that time. It has purely awesome music. I'm surprised you didn't feature Stereo Protect as it's easily considered the best track in the game but I respect you for having a different, yet still awesome, taste in tracks. Even tho the enemies are lacking, I feel like it's easily made up for in the boss fights, and the best one is where you fight an evil doppelganger of yourself. I wish Gamefreak would take a break from making Pokemon games, team up with SEGA for old time's sake and make a new Pulseman game. It's the year of retro revivals after all.
Bro I'm trippin... These graphics and sound are incredible. Good review too. Very informative. I've only played this like twice but I don't really remember playing it.. time to load it up again
Had heard about this game through the magazines of the time but never played it. It definitely looks like something that could have had a few sequels. I also can't help but think there might be an alternate universe where Game Freak goes on to publish Pokemon either on several platforms or on Sega's GG or Nomad.
The graphics are pretty stunning in this game. There is quite a lot going on in the levels so my guess would be that's the reason for so few enemies. The hardware couldn't support it. The fact you still got some slowdown means the developers were pushing limits already.
What a great game. Just criminal it was not originally released on a cart here in the US back in the day. I am glad I was able to pick it up on the Wii VC.
Game Freak has another game on the MD, and is quite colorful, and pretty good, Magical Taruruto-kun, might want to check it out. I still have my Wii, and Pulseman is on it.
Great review! Looks like the game has a lot in common with Clockwork Aquario, from the aesthetic, with its large sprites and zoomed-in perspectives bright color palette, simple combat, and even the rate of enemy encounters. Released (or nearly-released) around the same time, too, I think!
My first time being able to play this game was on the Nintendo Wii via Virtual Console, and it was definitely one of my favorite Sega Genesis games I was able to able to purchase, especially after learning that it was developed by the people behind the Pokemon franchise. :D
I know I'm probably going to take some crap for this but this would be the kind of game Nintendo should put on their NSO service with Genesis games. Literally no physical version of this in the US I think a minimal release in Europe possibly and even in Japan very few copies.
Probably. I noticed I'd seen this game before in the first time it really affected me but this time it didn't really affect me all that much. It seems to be something your eyes kind of get used to eventually.
No, they're pretty intense there as well- I didn't notice a difference compared to this video. If you try the game, you'll probably want to keep the room well-lit. Transparencies work properly, though, so you won't get all those little checkerboard effects on the scenery like you see on a modern screen. (One area's background is almost entirely "transparent", and I could see that potentially being irritating to look at.)
@@3dmarth I definitely think some people are more sensitive to it than others. Sears back I was much less sensitive to it and now find it much more annoying typically. But I still don't find it overwhelming. But I could totally understand how some people might.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yeah, I personally just found it very mildly irritating, but I can't say that applies to everyone. I don't have any particular conditions that I'm aware of. What bothers me more than flashing colours is pure white text on a pure black background, for some reason.
I own this on a cheap reproduction cartridge that I bought for $5.00. Pulseman is a bit of a mixed bag for me, on one hand it's got really good visuals but the gameplay falls a little flat with too many puzzles to work out and not enough enemies to kill, the music is okay but not great. I think Rocket Knight Adventures is the better game. Also that English translation patch by Mijet is broken! It crashes the game in certain areas.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu No the repo card is the original Japanese version. On the EverDrive i've downloaded the English patch and that patch is no good as it crashes the ROM.
@@maroon9273 I dont know....there are those who prefer 32x over Saturn on certain games. Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, After Burner, and Space Harrier are the games i am referring to.
@@mxggo9046 because the 32x had na/eu release of space harrier. Sega developed the 32x port of virtua racing. While time Warner ported it to the saturn which was more different than the arcade version. Your right on virtua racing and virtua fighter being preferred over the saturn ports since both gameplay is closer to the arcade version than the saturn. Due to soj and soa supported the 32x better than the saturn in 1994 and prior to the release of panzer dragoon in early 1995.
@@mxggo9046 however it came out too late since sega release the sega cd prior to the 32x. While the saturn being release the same year as the true successor of the sega genesis..There was no room because sega was already saturated with too many hardware during the genesis and early saturn era. It would've been better had they cancelled the 32x and bring it back as a 6th gen 32-bit handheld console against the gba.
I hate to admit it but I've never even heard of this game until now.. It's damn same too because if I did see this on the Wii-Shop before it's closure I would've nabbed it. Well, I'll know what I will be doing this weekend with my modded genesis mini. Well SLX great content as always and keep up the good work!!
There was some talk of a limited print company doing a limited run of it. I hope they do it and beyond oasis was 2 of my favorite games on sega channel.
Another game by Game Freak, Drill Dozier, is similar. It's mainly about getting around the stage than fighting. I think it was just GF's design philosophy. I like both of these games very much.
It's funny how games like Darksouls are critically loved with people saying, if you like getting your ass kicked, this is great! But a game being very easy seems like a flaw. I don't have much time for games anymore and only play easy ones. It can hardly be too easy for me
man speaking of japanese only mega drive releases, you gotta check out DYNA BROTHERS 1 and 2, both are RTSS, where you indirectly control dinossaurs vs. aliens [that have the same options as you]. is real pretty, good music, and last but no least suprisingly deep strategy gameplay
There is nothing on the snes in the same level of Monster World IV.The 16-bit best platformers are in the Mega Drive library. They look better, sound better and play so much better
This is one of my favorite Mega Drive games. Possibly my all-time favorite. I was wondering, do you think it's better than Sonic? The game is in a way like Sonic and Rockman.
Much like goldenaxe 3 this one was only on the sega channel in america. That was something i never knew as a kid because i just thought that every sega game on there was the american versions.
By 1993 Sega of America had a bit of an idiotic "No Japanese Games" policy, hence why all first party games were made by them in-house. Hency why we never got this, Monster World IV, Golden Axe 3 Etc.
Well, you learn something new everyday. Cool fact.
Hello you?
Really love the graphics in this game, it has that Japanese flair with accurate pixel-art and bright high-contrast colors (reminds me of other Sonic clones like Socket or High Seas Havoc, and maybe Treasure games a bit) with a bit of Sonic and Megaman (especially industrially-themed levels and bosses) thrown in. I guess there's a reason why all indie-delevoped platformers are looking similiar to this one and rooting for this Japanese Sonic-inspired style, not sloppy Western one like Awesome Possum or Bubsy.
It's the same artist who did Pokemon.
Treasure for sure....!
I was getting that vibe as well.
Such a beautiful game!
Hey! Bubsy... Yeah.
indeed, Japanese design and colors are great and was what gave japanese games an edge on 16 bits consoles that occidental games didn't have because of poor animation, poor design sprites and poor color choices.
The only impressive games with great chara design and animation are few and far between comix zone comes to mind
it reminds me of an amiga game with the trippy patterns
In the year 30xx, Megaman was defeated and Zero has been tasked to get him working again in Dr. Lights stead. He comes across another defeated hero named Zool. He combines parts using Dr. Lights tech and tools. Pulseman was born...
This game looks absolutely gorgeous on the Mega Drive
Bit how would it look on the Sega Genesis? The genesis does say high definition on it 😆
@@buckroger6456 Good point. Sega Lord, do a Genesis review on this game, please
@@Leoj305 He was joking. It's the same system.
@@BigSnipp Yes. I was humoring the joke. Join us
It has a very GBA-ish look. Considering the GBA came out over a decade later than the Genesis/MD, that’s a good thing.
This really is an amazing showcase of the Genesis hardware, but my biggest complaint isn't the lack of enemies, but a lot of the hectic flashing backgrounds. While they certainly are colorful, they do give me headaches with all the effects going on. I'm not sure if playing on a CRT would lessen the intensity, but as it is I find it hard to play this game.
I was privileged to have access to the very ahead of it's time Sega Channel as a young child and played the crap out of it in the mid 90s.
For me as I get older it's more akin to like a theme park ride than a full on action game and that's okay! With it's heavy emphasis on visuals that can be almost psychedelic at times and the game play speed with playing around with the lightning ball that makes it fun.
I would have liked to see what kind of sequel they could have made for the Saturn though!
i played Pulseman quite a bit during my SEGA Channel days, i thought it was mighty impressive for what it was, the voices in this game is startling in clarity for one thing.
This game looks fantastic. From the spritework, animations, level design, parallax scrolling, to use of colors in the environments. It knocks it out of the park. SEGA really shot themselves in the foot not importing bangers like this.
And not promoting and marketing characters that could have grown on the consumers and continued their story moving forward .
I rmember reading about this in the official Sega UK magazine in 1995. Really wanted it to come out over here. I eventually played it a few years later and love it.
Pulseman has a lot of charm and it's a pretty cool character. I imagine a modern remake being some mix of Mega Man & Rocket Knight Adventures with a bit of Viewtiful Joe mixed in.
One of those super colorful rainbow bright levels should come with an epilepsy warning. Other than that game is great
Yeah this game isn't exactly for everybody.
A little tip for those interested in playing the game: When Pulseman doesn't have enough energy for his Volteccer, he lets out a little shock move covering his body. This seems useless at first, but it has a TON of invincibility frames, making it super easy to phase right through most attacks and trivializes the boss fights.
It's been a long time since I've played it so I could be wrong, but isn't there also a way to abuse his charge dash move? Like if u get good with it you can speed thru parts faster than normal. Skip through screens practically like a teleport? Not that I would recommend playing that way, but it is fun to fool around with.
Maybe, but you might be thinking about skid jumps. They're used often in apeedruns.
That is an awesome looking game. You can tell they tried. My initial thoughts were the sprites could have been smaller, could have opened up more stage view and improved performance but would have been harder to nail the cartoony look. Sega really should have released this full retail in the US. It's like Sega are their own worst enemy.
And in Europe
@@richardslotboom9250 I suppose that's only fair ^_^
The Genesis/Mega Drive is the gift that keeps on giving.
Voice synthesis is spectacular for this game. I love how the newscasts are spoken in fully understandable english despite the text being japanese.
Pulseman is awesome. Played on console in the 90s. I spent years trying to remember the name until i found by chance through emulation. Def worth.
The game is gorgeous, shocked this slipped pass my radar.
It was talked about in EGM at the time. Thats how I heard about it.
@@Chaz4543 I remember that. I was hoping this was going to get released in the states but it never did :(
@@fakeshemp9599
I mean it kinda was with it being on Sega channel but officially in physical form, no. It's sad because as SLX said even the Japanese release got very minimal print copies meaning it's a fairly rare game even over there. This would be an absolute perfect game to be released on the NSO service what was it being one of the rarest Sega games there are and non-existent here in the US.
I heard him say the F bomb a couple of times to his enemies. The game looks amazing, I’ll give it a shot tonight.
Pulseman has not a curse word in the game.
@@Bloodreign1 it sounds like “Fuck you” at 5:09. I could be wrong but that’s what I hear.
@@grgmj1980 Flash Zero, it is an F word, but not the bad one.
Flash Zero is an F Bomb
I've had an original Japanese copy of Pulseman for about 20 years, and it's decent. It's nowhere near my favorites on the system, but worth playing all the same. I think my favorite Game Freak game is still Drill Dozer, though. Much like you mentioned, Pulseman is really all about learning the stage layouts, and its action is nowhere near some of its contemporaries at the time like Gunstar Heroes (or really any of the Treasure games on the Genesis), Contra Hard Corps, or Ranger X. Good stuff, though, amd excellent, even-handed review!
I've never heard of this game and it looks gorgeous. At first glance it looks like a SNES title, and reminds me of Marko's magic Football in terms of having nice, large sprites on screen. This is truly a hidden gem I had no idea about. Well done.
Genesis does.
what Ninten-DON'T!
Honorable mention is yu yu hakusho fighting game on the genesis which displayed great color choices to make it a colorful for a system that display limited colors and color palette.
All of these games should've been ported in 1994 in order to maintain market shares and prove the nay-sayers wrong.
I agree with u about Yu yu hakusho it’s a great fighting game looks good and I love that there is 2 players vs players made by Treasure
Excellent review, Mel! 😁 This game is a masterpiece, to me. The Stage 1-1 theme, Neo Tokyo, is my favourite tune of the game, and I put it onto my phone, earlier...! Pulseman also fights his brother, at one point! Completing the game is very cool, and [☆SPOILER ALERT!☆⬇️]...
...the fate of the final boss/Pulseman's father, Dr. Waruyama, is left dubious, once you defeat him, at the end... ⚡🎮👊😎🌈💖
Stereo Protect is one of the Genesis/Mega Drive best tracks of all time.
I taught i knew all megadrive games, this one is unknown to me. Still how could i jave missed that one. Thx for your work and passion to make us love the megadrive 30 years later
Good review. I must say this has been on my "to play" list. I really enjoy the art style and the use of colors. It definitely looks like a SNES title which is funny how Gamefreak would go on to do Pokemon and work with Nintendo exclusively. It also reminds me of a title they did on the Game boy Advance Drilldozer which was pretty fun.
Game Freak also released the Badass Elephant in every console except Nintendo ones. They've been wanting to make a big non-Pokémon title but none of their releases is popular.
I think they should make another Pulseman. They don't dislike it, considering that Porygon-Z and Rotom look like Pulseman; also Pikachu's Volt Tackle sounds and is performed similarly to Pulseman's Voltecker.
Good thing about being in the UK at the time was it was cheaper to get a import than a PAL game same went for the snes.
It's easily one of my all-time Sega favorite games, and I love it.
You butchered the story a little: Dr Yoshiyama was a kind genius that created sentient AI, whom he fell in love with, so he transferred his consciousness into the virtual world. They will have an offspring that sums both worlds, Pulseman. Dr Yoshiyama spent so many years into the virtual world that his mind broke and twisted, becoming Dr Waruyama and setting of to conquer the world. You not only have to ultimately defeat your own father, but also your hair brother, Veil, whom he favors, and whose also stronger than you. Story was damn dark and mature specially for its time and platform.
Also also, the game contained 65 digitalized voice PHRASES. I haven't seen anything like that on the Genesis.
Wouldn't say he butchered it, just glazed over it.
Pulseman should have been released in the USA in the first place. 😀👍🎮
It was but only through Sega Channel.
@@adamdenardis5438 that is true.
@@adamdenardis5438
Which is funny because it means that it kind of was but it also wasn't.
Sega channel was the equivalent of releasing something digitally these days. The minute it ceased to exist so did the game. But the fact that even in Japan and got a very limited run tells me it was always going to be a pretty limited game.
Tried this underrated Game Freak Platformer on Wii U via the Wii Menu and enjoyed it. Its a mix of Mega Man, Astro Boy minus the flight capability for the hero of this game Tatsunoko Productions works and the elements that set the basis for Pokémon such as Volteccer being used as inspiration for one of Pikachu's Signature Moves Volt Tackle during the Gen 3/Gen 4 era of Pokémon, the bird like enemy would look like Natu and its evolved form Xatu plus Neo Tokyo stage theme sounding too similar to Barry's Battle Theme in Pokémon Diamond Pearl Platinum and its recent remakes.
"Moments of badassery" pure gold 😂
Ingot a reproduction copy of this game. I plug it into my game genie so the pins on my Genesis don't suffer. The game is definitely great!
That Game Genie idea is clever.
Why are repros detrimental?
I had just started getting bored with 16-bit gaming and losing interest in my Genesis/Sness...mom surprises me with Sega Channel...sucked back into it all by Pulseman on the service. Didn't realize it was Sega Channel exclusive in US at the time, but realized the quality immediately.
It's a little bit extra crazy that the only other time this game is released was on the Wii virtual console and that too has been taken down and discontinued. This poor game cannot catch a break. Hopefully it'll make its way to the NSO service eventually. That could finally give this a game the big market attention it deserves.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu can people who kept wii system still play it locked to that hardware? It would have been a better game on Genesis Mini than a Darius port.
@@caseyhayes4590
I'm not quite clear what you're asking. You can't access the store anymore and the only way you could play something like this on it would be to mod or hack a Wii. If you downloaded it onto the console it would still be there but if you deleted it it's gone forever now.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yeah I wasn't sure if you downloaded it and kept it if you could still access it. Still kind of ridiculous locking it to one physical system. I'm an old man with my love of physical media I guess.
We got this on the Sega Channel in the US. Makes me more nostalgic for the pioneering service than this game in particular, but I did enjoy this one for a few hours.
I bought Pulseman in 1996 the picture on the cartridge looked like Mega Man that attracted me I had no knowledge of this game only the pictures how it look but boy did I have a fun time playing this game the music soundtrack is awesome and graphics is very good the gameplay was fun enemies wasn't challenging but still enjoyable, for me it had the Sonic feel to it but not as fast as Sonic. Pulseman is one of my favorite Sega 16 Bit games I remember connecting my Sega Mega Drive to my HiFi stereo system and pump up the volume to listen to the Techno Beats soundtrack a lot of memories playing this game I`m glad I found it
I remember seeing this game on a video and tried to find the name desperately.
The design was such sooo cool
Also, I would love a remake of this game.
Can you imagine how those cool designs and graphics would look with modern technology?.. damn
I could be sleeping but no, let me watch another LordX video.
I was just watching the one on repros
I hope we one day get a Game Freak cart for Evercade, featuring this and Mendel Palace!
Pulseman was one of the first gaming curiosities i ever became aware of. A local peruvian gaming magazine talked about it before browsing the internet was common here. However I don't recall them saying this was available on a Sega system, which i find weirdest part
Looks amazing, top tier Genesis game probably, just looking at it I can tell.
Really like this one, tough I admit it's one of those that is more fun the 2nd time around. Once you kinda learn how it works (specially dash charging and flip kick with their invencivility frames).
I hope Retro-bit somehow gets the rights to this and release a physical edition like they did with Megaman Wily Wars.
That game actually looks pretty good, never played it myself
Cheers! If I didn't know this was a Sega title, I'd bet this was a 32-bit Playstation game! In reality, its effects emind me of 32-bit Megaman entries (8 and X4-X6) a lot.
we need a GLEYLANCER review SLX, i only found out about it a few months ago on my PS5, and i played it so much, such a good game, i can't believe it was a megadrive game, it looks stellar.
I kept seeing this game in magazines at the time, but by the time it was out I had become obsessed with the Sega Saturn, so never ended up playing it.
Some of those backgrounds are nuts! Also everyone needs to play Gleylancer...
Thank goodness a year after this review, Pulseman is available as part of the Sega Genesis Online portion of Nintendo’s Switch Online + Expansion pack service.
It’s also kinda cool that Pokémon’s 4th generation of titles (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum) have ALOT of Pulseman references
It is a shame this game never got physical Genesis release back in the 90's. This game was really impressive for a Genesis title! I remember playing this years ago on Wii. The levels looked great, but, yeah, there was some cheap level design and the lack of enemies made some levels feel quite barren. Though, it even rivaled some action platformers on the SNES!
Well, Game Freak has their hands full with Pokémon now, but I'd love to see another developer like WayForward make a sequel. Maybe even a sequel to Drill Dozer, too? Game Freak has made some really interesting platformers!
I was late to the party on JP Mega Drive collecting. Of the ones listed I have Pulseman, Gleylancer and Monster World IV. I would LOVE a copy of Eliminate Down and Snow Bros, but I’m not spending $1500 for a game. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll get really, really, really, REALLY lucky. Lol
I remember plating this on the Sega channel in 95!
Always wanted this along with Wily Wars to get a physical release
Limited Run has a few dont they??
Hmmm, I do wonder if we could see a physical copy like Wily wars happen at some point.
I bet there would actually be quite a bit of interest.
So this is what our beloved freaks of gaming were doing before Pokemon...
One of my favorite games being reviewed by one of my favorite UA-camrs? That's shocking!
Lame puns aside, emulation is how I discovered Pulseman way back in 2008. Never owned a Wii and I (regrettably) got rid of my Genesis around that time.
It has purely awesome music. I'm surprised you didn't feature Stereo Protect as it's easily considered the best track in the game but I respect you for having a different, yet still awesome, taste in tracks.
Even tho the enemies are lacking, I feel like it's easily made up for in the boss fights, and the best one is where you fight an evil doppelganger of yourself.
I wish Gamefreak would take a break from making Pokemon games, team up with SEGA for old time's sake and make a new Pulseman game. It's the year of retro revivals after all.
For pokemon nerds, Rotom's design was based on Pulseman. And Pulseman's Voltekker is used by pikachu and is known as volt tackle 🤓
Nice, I didn't know either of those.
Team Galactic also got their name from the Galaxy Gang in Pulseman.
I like how Gamefreak went on to work on Pokemon and named Pikachus signiture attack Volt Tackle after Pulsemans same attack!
Bro I'm trippin... These graphics and sound are incredible. Good review too. Very informative. I've only played this like twice but I don't really remember playing it.. time to load it up again
Had heard about this game through the magazines of the time but never played it. It definitely looks like something that could have had a few sequels.
I also can't help but think there might be an alternate universe where Game Freak goes on to publish Pokemon either on several platforms or on Sega's GG or Nomad.
The graphics are pretty stunning in this game. There is quite a lot going on in the levels so my guess would be that's the reason for so few enemies. The hardware couldn't support it. The fact you still got some slowdown means the developers were pushing limits already.
What a great game. Just criminal it was not originally released on a cart here in the US back in the day. I am glad I was able to pick it up on the Wii VC.
Game Freak has another game on the MD, and is quite colorful, and pretty good, Magical Taruruto-kun, might want to check it out. I still have my Wii, and Pulseman is on it.
Great review! Looks like the game has a lot in common with Clockwork Aquario, from the aesthetic, with its large sprites and zoomed-in perspectives bright color palette, simple combat, and even the rate of enemy encounters. Released (or nearly-released) around the same time, too, I think!
With the old everdrive it's sometimes easy to pass over all the unknown games but now I'm glad to know about this one, thanks for sharing this gem
this looks amazing! Thanks for the review, Sega Lord X! I'm off to see if I can play it somehow lol
My first time being able to play this game was on the Nintendo Wii via Virtual Console, and it was definitely one of my favorite Sega Genesis games I was able to able to purchase, especially after learning that it was developed by the people behind the Pokemon franchise. :D
Pretty fascinating to see what games were developed by Gamefreak pre pokemon. I like this one
I know I'm probably going to take some crap for this but this would be the kind of game Nintendo should put on their NSO service with Genesis games. Literally no physical version of this in the US I think a minimal release in Europe possibly and even in Japan very few copies.
The neon backgrounds are really rough on my eyes. Does it diffuse better on a CRT?
Probably. I noticed I'd seen this game before in the first time it really affected me but this time it didn't really affect me all that much. It seems to be something your eyes kind of get used to eventually.
No, they're pretty intense there as well- I didn't notice a difference compared to this video. If you try the game, you'll probably want to keep the room well-lit.
Transparencies work properly, though, so you won't get all those little checkerboard effects on the scenery like you see on a modern screen. (One area's background is almost entirely "transparent", and I could see that potentially being irritating to look at.)
@@3dmarth
I definitely think some people are more sensitive to it than others.
Sears back I was much less sensitive to it and now find it much more annoying typically. But I still don't find it overwhelming. But I could totally understand how some people might.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu Yeah, I personally just found it very mildly irritating, but I can't say that applies to everyone. I don't have any particular conditions that I'm aware of.
What bothers me more than flashing colours is pure white text on a pure black background, for some reason.
"Two women hooked together, attacking in unison." Yeah, I remember my first kidnapping charge. Thanks Lordy!
I own this on a cheap reproduction cartridge that I bought for $5.00.
Pulseman is a bit of a mixed bag for me, on one hand it's got really good visuals but the gameplay falls a little flat with too many puzzles to work out and not enough enemies to kill, the music is okay but not great. I think Rocket Knight Adventures is the better game.
Also that English translation patch by Mijet is broken! It crashes the game in certain areas.
Wait are you saying the repo card that you have has the English patch and it crashes the game??!!
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu No the repo card is the original Japanese version. On the EverDrive i've downloaded the English patch and that patch is no good as it crashes the ROM.
Yup yup yup yup yup
Simply beautiful!
I can only imagen what a Pulseman 2 on 32x or Saturn would have looked like!
Sega Saturn pulseman sequel would've been better.
@@maroon9273 I dont know....there are those who prefer 32x over Saturn on certain games.
Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, After Burner, and Space Harrier are the games i am referring to.
@@mxggo9046 because the 32x had na/eu release of space harrier. Sega developed the 32x port of virtua racing. While time Warner ported it to the saturn which was more different than the arcade version. Your right on virtua racing and virtua fighter being preferred over the saturn ports since both gameplay is closer to the arcade version than the saturn. Due to soj and soa supported the 32x better than the saturn in 1994 and prior to the release of panzer dragoon in early 1995.
@@maroon9273Wish 32x had Genesis sequels and more arcade ports.
@@mxggo9046 however it came out too late since sega release the sega cd prior to the 32x. While the saturn being release the same year as the true successor of the sega genesis..There was no room because sega was already saturated with too many hardware during the genesis and early saturn era. It would've been better had they cancelled the 32x and bring it back as a 6th gen 32-bit handheld console against the gba.
I hate to admit it but I've never even heard of this game until now.. It's damn same too because if I did see this on the Wii-Shop before it's closure I would've nabbed it.
Well, I'll know what I will be doing this weekend with my modded genesis mini. Well SLX great content as always and keep up the good work!!
...try running 'Pulseman' at 70hz instead of 60hz NTSC...improvez the gameplay and OST alot...true hidden gem this one...
I like to pronounce "Pulseman" like a last name.
Hes a pulse man...not 'Pulsemin'
"Hello. I'm Steve. Steve Pulseman"
Sounds like a pr0n0 name.
"Hey baby, I'm Willie Pulsman, here to fix your plumbing."
"His name, is Robert Pulseman!". One for true fanboys.
@@matttherrien9608
Let's put it this way I got a hankering for meatloaf now. 🤣
I just love this channel so much !!!
There was some talk of a limited print company doing a limited run of it. I hope they do it and beyond oasis was 2 of my favorite games on sega channel.
Another game by Game Freak, Drill Dozier, is similar. It's mainly about getting around the stage than fighting. I think it was just GF's design philosophy. I like both of these games very much.
"It was a strange game that had two women hooked together..."
Say no more.
How dare you describe Trouble shooter so simply! That game is amazing !
You should add Tecmo Secret of the Stars and Dragon View. I would also say Brandish but technically it was on PC engine outside of the US.
Looks like Sonic meets Mega Man. This it going on my everdrive when i get home from work.
Wow this game looks amazing! Gotta play it this weekend
It's funny how games like Darksouls are critically loved with people saying, if you like getting your ass kicked, this is great! But a game being very easy seems like a flaw.
I don't have much time for games anymore and only play easy ones. It can hardly be too easy for me
I bought a repro cart of this game for my modded UK Megadrive and I love it.
Awesome content! I never knew about this game growing up! Great review of this title! Awesome video Sega!
man speaking of japanese only mega drive releases, you gotta check out DYNA BROTHERS 1 and 2, both are RTSS, where you indirectly control dinossaurs vs. aliens [that have the same options as you]. is real pretty, good music, and last but no least suprisingly deep strategy gameplay
There is nothing on the snes in the same level of Monster World IV.The 16-bit best platformers are in the Mega Drive library. They look better, sound better and play so much better
Got it back when it was on the Wii VC because it looked cool, was not disappointed
I can't believe how low those magazines rated the graphics! This is a great looking title!
OMG! I remember playing this game and it was really awesome! :D
wow that stage @7:10 looks very seizure inducing
Yeah, I could definitely see this game having some issues nowadays. Anyone with light sensitivity issues should probably steer clear of it.
Surprisingly I’ve never even heard of this game before. It’s got an awesome graphics engine. I’ll be exploring this title on my RP2+.
Few things are more gratifying than that Genesis Bass line
People compare to Mega Man but in feel I think it's closer to Sonic.
Can’t wait to see this 😀!
I really should play this game. I've just been too busy with modern games to get around to some of the better games I missed like this one.
The visuals and soundtrack are incredible. The lack of enemies doesn’t really bother me but I do agree the platforming can be a bit frustrating.
This is one of my favorite Mega Drive games. Possibly my all-time favorite. I was wondering, do you think it's better than Sonic? The game is in a way like Sonic and Rockman.
Much like goldenaxe 3 this one was only on the sega channel in america. That was something i never knew as a kid because i just thought that every sega game on there was the american versions.
I remember playing this on the Sega channel I always wish this game had some type of re-release.