Games That Push The Limits of the Sega Mega Drive

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  • Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
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    The Sega Mega Drive, The Sega Genesis, it had two names but it was awesome and I'm taking a look at a few of the games that pushed it to the limits. Genesis does what Nintendon't? Does that hold any water? Well I'm going to look for a few examples whilst I'm looking for limit pushers maybe I'll uncover some surprises.
    00:00 Intro waffle
    00:42 Ranger X
    06:20 Red Zone
    12:00 Kawasaki Superbike Challenge
    16:07 Virtua Racer
    17:30 Toy Story
    18:00 Blood Shot
    19:15 Duke Nukem 3D
    23:29 Panorama Cotton
    29:00 Ending gibberish
  • Ігри

КОМЕНТАРІ • 618

  • @jimbo573
    @jimbo573 3 роки тому +437

    I wrote Bloodshot and can confirm you are 100% correct about the symmetry and palette trick. I was quite pleased with the idea at the time.

    • @Sharopolis
      @Sharopolis  3 роки тому +69

      Great to hear from you! Bloodshot was amazing!

    • @sloppynyuszi
      @sloppynyuszi 3 роки тому +24

      I had that game on my Mega Drive when it was relevant, and my hat goes off to you. I thought it is the stand out FPS for the system, and disappointed it’s not talked about more on retro UA-cam channels. Especially in those hardware pusher episodes.

    • @slinkyninja
      @slinkyninja 3 роки тому +42

      Oh hey Jim (I used to work with you at Climax!). Dude, Bloodshot is seriously impressive, I had no idea a 68K could manage anything like that back then. Lovely stuff sir.

    • @paxhumana2015
      @paxhumana2015 3 роки тому +6

      @Jim Blackler, I wonder if you and Sharopolis ever played Pier Solar and the Great Architects and Paprium?

    • @SketchTurnerZero
      @SketchTurnerZero 3 роки тому +8

      You did a great job, JIM! From Russia with love. Back in my childhood it was so impressive for me

  • @whoaitstiger
    @whoaitstiger 2 роки тому +36

    That Duke Nukem 3D port is both wonderfully brilliant and utterly horrifying at the same time.

    • @MaxOakland
      @MaxOakland Рік тому +2

      Are there any videos explaining how it works?

  • @Disthron
    @Disthron 3 роки тому +11

    *Non FX SNES game*
    Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was another 3D polygonal game that doesn't use the FX chip. It runs...ok, I enjoyed it back in the day, played it throe all the way to the end. Thought it is hard to play now. I think it managed to get away with it because it was mostly just rendering the ships against a basic blackness of space, with a few stars. Probably would have been a lot more playable today if it had the FX chip.

    • @Sharopolis
      @Sharopolis  3 роки тому +5

      I didn't know about that one thanks! It actually looks OK too, better than Race Drivin anyaway.

  • @strategicfooyouagencyfirst8197
    @strategicfooyouagencyfirst8197 3 роки тому +42

    I like the weak hardware 16bit time.
    Programmers really use their brain to achieve the impossible goals.
    Some MD games are really amazing. I still remember the first time I saw the cotton girl game. Really shock me back in time. Still amazing today.

    • @Rokabur
      @Rokabur 3 роки тому +10

      Limitations breed inspirations.

    • @MaxAbramson3
      @MaxAbramson3 Місяць тому

      So did PS1. That system, because of its slow C graphics libraries Andorra limitations, it really wasn't more powerful than the 2 year older 3DO, but devs learned how to overcome its limitations and make it perform.

  • @IvanOdintsoff
    @IvanOdintsoff 3 роки тому +22

    I think that on the FPS section you just missed one of the best examples: Zero Tolerance. The game didn't used just 90o angle walls like the other games and had animated wall textures and other nice stuff.

  • @acecarrera1
    @acecarrera1 3 роки тому +45

    Panorama Cotton makes me wonder if someone could make Panzer Dragoon for the Genesis today.

    • @rodrigogirao8344
      @rodrigogirao8344 3 роки тому +2

      There is a Panzer Dragoon on the Game Gear, so it's not impossible.

    • @sloppynyuszi
      @sloppynyuszi 3 роки тому +12

      It shows them how Space harrier should have looked

    • @rafaellima83
      @rafaellima83 3 роки тому +4

      Anything can be ported to anything. You just need to use your imagination. Tweak Zaxxon a bit and you have Panzer Dragoon on the Atari 2600 :D

    • @magicjohnson3121
      @magicjohnson3121 3 роки тому

      Space Harrier is more fun to be honest

    • @Rodzilla97
      @Rodzilla97 3 роки тому +8

      Panorama Cotton's graphics are mind blowing. i wouldn't say it looks as good as star fox, but it's really close. they're not going for the same look though, so Panorama Cotton is the king of sprite scaling shooters(like Space Harrier, After Burner, etc). i don't think the snes could even come remotely close to Panorama without a serious helper chip

  • @thebeardofpepew4538
    @thebeardofpepew4538 3 роки тому +16

    Adventures of Batman and Robin was crazy advanced on the Genesis. Some really impressive stuff going on there

    • @craigix
      @craigix 3 роки тому +3

      I expected it to be there.

    • @samfrito
      @samfrito 3 роки тому +4

      And it's music was superb.

    • @crazyjake536
      @crazyjake536 Рік тому +1

      graphics and sound is awesome in Adventures of B+robin, but omg the gamepay is sooooooooo repetitive and the levels just go on and on and seem to never end.
      Im a noob and played through a unlimited continous version. Levels are ridiculously long and hard to beat. Somewhat ruins the fun of it.

  • @laynestrong4933
    @laynestrong4933 3 роки тому +6

    Gunstar Hero's and Comix Zone. Nuff said.

  • @mercster
    @mercster 2 роки тому +22

    Panorama Cotton is sheer beauty. Never seen a more beautiful 16bit game, especially from Sega. Well done.

  • @youisiaint
    @youisiaint 3 роки тому +44

    That 2nd boss fight on Ranger X with the moving corridors in the background was one of the most impressive effects I'd ever seen on a 16-bit game

    • @ChiefExecutiveOrbiter
      @ChiefExecutiveOrbiter 3 роки тому +3

      Game is badass the controls graphics music levels all great

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 3 роки тому

      Wow, you should really play some SNES games. The problem with that corridor effect is that it is extremely limiting to the level design.

    • @kasjamm
      @kasjamm 2 роки тому +5

      @@davidaitken8503 Snes games are slow

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 2 роки тому

      @@kasjamm Genesis games are slow. Do you see the problem with that statement? Not only is it ridiculous to claim that every game on a system is a particular speed, but what metric do you use to define what makes a game slow or fast? Is it the speed of the player controlled character and enemies? Is it the amount of enemies and bullets being thrown at you all at once? Is it how quickly the player has to react to what is happening on screen? Is it how frequently they have to react? What are you using to base such a claim on?
      I've played hundreds of games on the NES, SNES, Genesis, Turbo Grafx 16, etc. and I can honestly say your statement makes absolutely no sense based on plenty of games I've played. Based on the metrics I already mentioned I think some of the "fastest" games I've played from that era actually are on the SNES. Everything from the high speed racing of F-Zero to the relentless barrage of enemies in shooters like Super Smash TV and Space Megaforce.

    • @kasjamm
      @kasjamm 2 роки тому +2

      @@davidaitken8503 The snes has a slow cpu compared to the genesis and can run games faster with more going on

  • @MizfitZer0
    @MizfitZer0 3 роки тому +4

    The megadrive will always be my fav console of all time

    • @feliscorax
      @feliscorax 3 роки тому +1

      Mine, too. I’ve still got my original plus games. Just love it.

  • @Samtagri
    @Samtagri 3 роки тому +7

    Thank you for mentioning Gunstar Heroes and Batman and Robin, because these are the games that come to mind when I think of the Mega Drive going to the next level.

  • @DoggoneNexus
    @DoggoneNexus 3 роки тому +36

    Your console nicknames are some next-level stuff.

    • @boddha10
      @boddha10 3 роки тому +2

      Sugared Gymnasium🤣

    • @brayden6449
      @brayden6449 2 роки тому

      Welcome

    • @Zefrem23
      @Zefrem23 2 роки тому +1

      It's a time-honoured tradition in UK video gaming journalism, back to the days of Zzap!64 and Computer and Video Games (and possibly before that!). The Beige Breadbin will always be my favourite computer.

  • @ChozoSR388
    @ChozoSR388 2 роки тому +2

    Yes, it's true that "Mega Drive" was already a taken name in the States, but it wasn't a laxative; it was held by Mega Drive Systems, Inc., a storage media manufacturer. So, SEGA went with "Genesis" as a way of suggesting that the new console would mark the real dawn of home video gaming.

  • @dioseolo
    @dioseolo 3 роки тому +16

    The first time I played Contra: Hard Corps. back in the day I was completely blown away by the graphics and the music.

    • @orchid9
      @orchid9 3 роки тому +3

      It was my first game on Genesis. Just imagine the sheer speed the game had in comparison to stupidly slow NES. That techno music (sure SNES had more realistic sound and better visuals, but fuck that crap it was 90s, techno and rave is all we needed in our teens and genesis was so fucking fast, everything was RADICAL lol). Genesis was peak 90s, that's for sure.

    • @rafaellima83
      @rafaellima83 3 роки тому +5

      I am a programmer.
      The thing is, I can see how all effects on Contra Hard Corps are done. Lots of well thought stuff, but nothing that really "pushes" the hardware. And yeah, very good pixel art.
      Red Zone is doing some insanely smart stuff, as it is Toy Story, DN3D , Batman & Robin and Bloodshot.
      But hell, first time I saw Panorama Cotton, I was like "HOW THE FUCK THEY PULLED THAT OFF?" There are stuff on that game that I still don't know how it works.

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 3 роки тому +1

      @@rafaellima83 I think Panorama Cotton is using pretty much every pseudo 3D optical illusion in the book. Everything from the checkerboard tiles to the waving effect from different horizontal lines being offset from one another to make it look like the tunnel you are in is curving. Many of these effects are used on games dating back to even the 8-bit systems.

  • @nknicolas
    @nknicolas 3 роки тому +18

    Batman and Robin is by far the most impressive game. Too difficult to be fun, but really really impressive

    • @rafaellima83
      @rafaellima83 3 роки тому +4

      It does a lot of incredible stuff.
      But Panorama Cotton really dropped my jaw when I first saw it. And it's paired with a game that's actually fun to play (Unlike Batman and Robin which, like you said, it's just too stupidly hard to be any fun).

    • @gjergjaurelius9798
      @gjergjaurelius9798 3 роки тому +1

      Adventure of batman and Robin is one of my all time favorite games. My bro and I ace it once a yr.🤯🤟🏻💯

  • @YouOpaOpa
    @YouOpaOpa 3 роки тому +11

    19:25 Yes, it was official. Tectoy were masters of getting IPs.

    • @ultralowspekken
      @ultralowspekken 2 роки тому +4

      They produced the game first and then got the IP
      And, iirc, then it was discovered that the who gave license to TecToy for Duke Nukem 3D lost part of the rights to Duke Nukem, so it's debatable if it's official

  • @Larry
    @Larry 3 роки тому +115

    Sega really should have picked up the rights to the F1 Challenge game and released it as a third Super Monaco game.
    But no Jimmy White's Snooker Sharpie??? Blasphemy!

    • @Idelacio
      @Idelacio 3 роки тому +6

      Steve interestign Davis on the megadrive? Sure you aren't thinking of Jimmy White's titular Whirlwind title?

    • @Larry
      @Larry 3 роки тому +7

      @@Idelacio thats the one!

    • @JesseSwaney
      @JesseSwaney 3 роки тому +1

      Love your channel

    • @cr-nd8qh
      @cr-nd8qh 3 роки тому

      Yea my friend had super monaco gp I used to borrow it all the time

    • @mrtea7562
      @mrtea7562 3 роки тому

      @Erbkaiser Unfortunate isn't it

  • @BLUESPOSER
    @BLUESPOSER 3 роки тому +9

    Also:
    Vectorman
    Vectorman 2
    Adventures of Batman and Robin
    Sonic 3D Blast
    All these four together with Toy Story are my Top 5 that really push the limits of Mega Drive..

  • @myownfriend23
    @myownfriend23 3 роки тому +2

    There's a bunch of videos that claim to list games that "Push the limits of the Mega Drive" but this is the only one that actually explains what's impressive about each one.

  • @inceptional
    @inceptional 3 роки тому +14

    3:19 Even though the machine can technically only do 2 main background layers, the fact you can take some parts from one layer and move it either forward or behind the other layer really means you can do far more properly overlapping layers that would first seem to be the case. I think the SNES can actually do this too, but I can probably count the number of games on my hand where the SNES did anything beyond just using say the three background layers with maybe a bit of simple line scrolling if lucky. I wish more developers did this kind of trickery, because it actually seems to be a pretty standard capability of both consoles from what I've read, yet rarely fully utilised.

  • @Schraiber
    @Schraiber 3 роки тому +18

    Awesome video. Panorama Cotton has always absolutely blown me away, honestly it's more impressive every time I see it. Great info!

  • @chrism2027
    @chrism2027 3 роки тому +10

    To this day, I'm still very overwhelmed by what the Megadrive is towards the end. Partially out of the Sega box. Comic Zone, Sonic 3 and Nuggels, Turtels Hyperstone, Probotector and Castel Vaniar. Class Console. I had a nice time with the Megadrive and the SNES. Both damn good systems with before and disadvantages

    • @PeteOliva
      @PeteOliva 3 роки тому +4

      I really think some really outstanding programming went into those consoles to get much more out of them than was ever initially intended, even before the Super FX and the 32x.

    • @voutespancar
      @voutespancar 3 роки тому +7

      Love Sonic 3 and Nuggels.

    • @craigdavidson5613
      @craigdavidson5613 2 роки тому

      Yeah! I think the Sega Mega Drive was a great and versatile system for its time. I happened to find one for $5AU at a local Charity Shop, and it's worth every cent, especially for technology that's around three decades old.

    • @chrism2027
      @chrism2027 2 роки тому

      @@craigdavidson5613 You've made a damn good deal, usually you pay around 25 euros with cables and 1 controller. Only if you are lucky.

  • @LNSLateNightSaturday
    @LNSLateNightSaturday 3 роки тому +9

    I'm blown away by Kawasaki Superbike Challenge! That looks better than Virtua Racing to me, or at least smoother...

    • @sloppynyuszi
      @sloppynyuszi 3 роки тому +9

      It’s smoother for two reasons. It’s pushing a lot less polygons and also you can’t turn around in it. It just slides left and right like the other outrun style games.
      Even though it had a chip, Virtua racing is doing a lot more than Kawasaki or F1 did.

    • @rafaellima83
      @rafaellima83 3 роки тому

      @@sloppynyuszi I didnt play a Lot of Kawasaki Superbike, but my First impression of It was "Oh, its vroom with motorbikes."
      If its indeed like Vroom its mixing 2D sprites with vector graphics. Thats why It feels theres more stuff than VR and also why you cant turn around.

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 3 роки тому

      @@rafaellima83 Vector graphics, are you sure? Those look like polygons to me. Vector graphics are basically just lines that are lengthened and shortened to give a pseudo 3D effect. Old arcade games like Battle Zone and Star Wars used vector graphics.

    • @rafaellima83
      @rafaellima83 3 роки тому +1

      @@davidaitken8503 Yeah, sorry, you are right. Polygons , not vectors :D

  • @inceptional
    @inceptional 3 роки тому +8

    The thing that bugs me when I see how they did Red Zone on Genesis--extremely cool by the way--was the fact the main background rotation effect is done by default on SNES relatively easily and with far, far more detail and colour being possible, so all the SNES had to do on top to achieve a similar but presumably even more impressive effect would be to use all it's sprites for the fake 3D objects in the same way the Genesis did.
    I mean, the SNES would likely struggle to throw quite as many sprites around like this without slowdown, but if some designer/programmer had maybe combined slightly less sprites with a far, far more detailed Mode 7 image that maybe even baked some shadows and the like into it too, then surely the SNES could have done something like this that actually looked even more striking. A lot of the details of those 3D objects done with sprites on Genesis could have been baked into the Mode 7 background on SNES, such as some of the bushes, or other basically flat objects like ditches and roads/tracks and mud and grass details could be added too, and even the first layer of all the 3D objects as well, saving quite a few sprites right there alone. And the SNES could have even used some transparency on some of the sprites for whatever potentially cool effects too.
    But, alas, I don't think I've seen many if any Mode 7 levels on SNES that go for this kind of optical illusion 3D approach. What a shame, because the flat Mode 7 can be impressive enough even as is, but with a bunch of sprites used to build up some of the geometry to look pseudo 3D, it could have been something very special for its time.
    The same is surely true of the inside sections too, where the SNES having up to 4 independently scrolling and overlapping background layers probably could have really helped with the effect alongside some sprites to clean the edges. And, again, the SNES having more colours [certainly if less layers were used] and proper transparency could have added even more visual flair if used properly too.

  • @lustechsource5197
    @lustechsource5197 3 роки тому +13

    Awesome video! Love the content you create. That Kawasaki game blew me away! Amazing the 3D is running that smooth without any special hardware.

  • @greensun1334
    @greensun1334 3 роки тому +6

    As a Kid from the early 80's I was absolute fascinated from Parallax-Scrolling!

  • @kourii
    @kourii 3 роки тому +5

    Wasn't expecting the random series of prog rock references and I loved every second of it

  • @elmariachi5133
    @elmariachi5133 3 роки тому +10

    Amiga and C64 scene coders for sure where the masters of optimization and innovation. If today's average game developer had just half their skill and motivation, games would already look like as being played on the Playstation 7 right now!

  • @jbmaru
    @jbmaru 3 роки тому +11

    Thanks for the explanation on the Ranger X fake 3D effect, it's so well done. For the real 3D polygon animations, weren't they quite easily doable for the console, simply because wireframe is less power-hungry than flat shading to start with?

  • @pinkpools
    @pinkpools 3 роки тому +6

    Love this series my guy, thanks for all of the awesome content.

  • @DuckAlertBeats
    @DuckAlertBeats 3 роки тому +6

    Lovely stuff, enjoyed it! There's something very magical about the MD and it's games, I think

  • @philgoodson7754
    @philgoodson7754 3 роки тому +2

    Really enjoyable videos mate, i've been loving this series. Keep up the good work sir.

  • @Rationalific
    @Rationalific 3 роки тому +4

    Awesome overview of the technologies (and amazing ideas) contained within these games!

  • @MrKeech666
    @MrKeech666 3 роки тому +14

    Megesis? I like it! 🤣

  • @CONSOLETRUTH2
    @CONSOLETRUTH2 2 роки тому +1

    Loved the Genesis stuff at the end but what's really funny/cool is that because it was the Genesis, when Mortal Kombat 1 came out and a code was needed to turn on the gore, because the peeps at Midway were Genesis (the band) fans, they decided to make the blood code A, B, A, C , A, B, B because ABACABB (pronounced Aaah-buh-cab) was also the name of an album that was released by....you guessed it, Genesis (the band).

  • @johneygd
    @johneygd 3 роки тому +29

    Panorama cotton blows many snes games out of the water, it simply puts games such as f zero into shame in the graphical department.

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 3 роки тому +5

      Bwa, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! You're hilarious. Panorama Cotton uses a host of "optical illusions" that have been used in countless games including some for the Turbo Grafx 16 and even the original NES. While it is certainly cool how it switches them up so frequently nothing it is doing is as graphically impressive as the smooth scaling, rich colors, visual design, and color gradients that give a sense of depth found in F-Zero. Where do people like you come up with such ridiculous claims?

    • @Prizrak-hv6qk
      @Prizrak-hv6qk Рік тому +1

      ​@@davidaitken8503 Doesn't matter how they did it... that it's just "illusions", etc. The game looks more impressive, busy and varied in its "3D" effects than the flat background rotation of F-Zero. Show any person the two games side by side for a minute and see what they think.

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 Рік тому

      @@Prizrak-hv6qk You show anyone Panorama Cotton and they will say, "Cool. This is definitely an impressive step up from Space Harrier and 3D World Runner". You show someone F-Zero though, and their jaws would drop to the floor as they had never seen anything, and I mean anything like it before. A silky smooth "3D" looking futuristic racer where you traveled at speeds that no game had ever let you travel before. It really was like peering into the future. I know this was the reaction people had because I was gaming back then and people were absolutely floored when they actually saw the game in motion. Remember, there was no internet back then so many of us had only seen screen shots in magazines. When footage started appearing in TV ads it really made an impact.
      You also have to remember that Panorama Cotton not only never made it out of Japan back when it was cutting edge console technology, but it came out after more genuinely 3D games like Star Fox as well. I will personally always love good Japanese sprite work over chunky polygons but Star Fox definitely looked more high tech at the time too.

  • @jakubkrcma
    @jakubkrcma 3 роки тому +1

    3:58 The implementation is just STUNNING! Wow, what an excellent job!!!

  • @cornchipz
    @cornchipz 2 роки тому +1

    Red Zone is one of those games that I love even though I suck at it. It is really tough, but it does impress.

  • @heilong79
    @heilong79 2 роки тому +2

    the Wolfenstein demo on the megadrive is really impressive.

  • @PixelsLtd
    @PixelsLtd 3 роки тому +10

    Great video as always! I'd nominate The Lost World game - its deceptively simple to begin with when you first start playing, with a similar top down perspective to the SNES JP game... but there are multiple 3D sprite scaled showpiece levels as the game progresses which are truly impressive - I'd go so far as to say more impressive 3d effects potentially than even Panorama Cotton? They look more like an early 32 bit game than a Megasis title.

  • @Typhoonbladefist
    @Typhoonbladefist 3 роки тому

    Great analysis of the technical work being done in these game. Thanks!

  • @cireza_
    @cireza_ Рік тому +1

    The first level of Ranger X has a parallax effect not seen often. Most of the time we see lines being scrolled at different speed and that's it. But if you look closely, you will see that buildings overlap on the lines behind them. This is not seen often in games from that era.

  • @pettttson
    @pettttson 3 роки тому

    The only time recommended videos gave you something good to watch. I subbed!

  • @malcolmar
    @malcolmar 3 роки тому +10

    Simply incredible! It's stuff like this that made me appreciate the older consoles like the Sega Genesis and turned me into a retro gamer. Great list! Glad to say I have most of these games but this time, unlike my less knowledgeable younger self, I will not be selling my collection this time around to "upgrade" to the newer hardware. Plus, you will never need an internet connection to play these games.

    • @RetroGamesBoy78
      @RetroGamesBoy78 3 роки тому

      Malcolmmar
      Tbf 95% of todays games don't need a Internet connection to be played. Obviously you need 1 to be able to play online multiplayer but that goes without saying.

    • @malcolmar
      @malcolmar 3 роки тому +2

      @@RetroGamesBoy78 I hope you are right. Every time I power up my Xbox One X it goes online to check to see if my account is valid even before I play my game. When games were complete on cart with no internet you just power on and play. Even disc games are not played on disc but have to be downloaded to play. I miss the days of true physical media.

    • @RetroGamesBoy78
      @RetroGamesBoy78 3 роки тому +1

      @@malcolmar yeah I forgot about the whole Microsoft thing! Just turn your Internet off and try to play a game, then you'll know!

  • @tumppigo
    @tumppigo 3 роки тому

    Love this series! Great that uou show and explain the tech side!

  • @nigelhighlands3131
    @nigelhighlands3131 Рік тому

    I laughed my ass off at the end of this video, top stuff. Your channel is amazing and one of my favorite unexpected finds in recent memory. Love me some hardware pushing games and you break things down in an intricate, yet accessible manner with great delivery to boot. Keep up the great work!

  • @johngavalas74
    @johngavalas74 11 місяців тому +1

    Ranger X
    Alien Soldier
    Gunstar Heroes
    Thunderforce IV they nailed it in the graphics and gameplay department

  • @ultor7654
    @ultor7654 3 роки тому +3

    Amazing documentary, truly breathtaking channel. Thank you so much Sir.

  • @Sinn0100
    @Sinn0100 2 роки тому +3

    What about that sweet, sweet scaling in Ranger X? That was said to be an impossible task on the Genesis and yet it did it through software.

  • @djdedan
    @djdedan 9 місяців тому +1

    Changing the scroll registers during the h blank interrupts is probably how the cotton effects were done. It’s been a while tho so I could be misremembering. Great vid tho.
    Treasure did some gems too. Gun star had that reactor room boss. Even the rotating column effect in mcdonaldland
    Sonic also couldn’t be done in the snes. They tried with that unicycle game but had to sacrifice backgrounds. Hardware DMA FTW

  • @JohnnyWednesday
    @JohnnyWednesday 3 роки тому +10

    My favorite youtube series so far :)

  • @mxggo9046
    @mxggo9046 3 роки тому

    thanks for this video. Sooo interesting to see what is going on in the 'background'

  • @igorpoco2420
    @igorpoco2420 Рік тому +1

    I think Jimmy White's Snooker 'Whirlwind' deserved an honorable mention on this list.

  • @coolshtmagazine3732
    @coolshtmagazine3732 3 роки тому

    Great to see a new video in this series. Great to see Ranger get some love, an incredible game that too few people have enjoyed.

  • @chamchamtrigger
    @chamchamtrigger 3 роки тому

    You started with Ranger X and I was thinking that you basically blew your load right at the start...then I saw the rest of the video. I was aware of the games you showed, but the breakdown was really incredible.

  • @TheWarmotor
    @TheWarmotor 3 роки тому +1

    This channel is great, hell Larry Bundy is a fan! Sub numbers are criminal, proud to be one of the first 10k!

  • @TheWrightClanX5
    @TheWrightClanX5 3 роки тому +1

    Awesome vid mate good to see you're on the mend 🙂

  • @cjuniorfox
    @cjuniorfox Місяць тому

    Great video. The opening for the Sonic 3D Blast I also consider a well done too.

  • @pnsmexico
    @pnsmexico 2 роки тому +1

    with your input i never found anywhere else, definitely subscribed and bell notified.

  • @NinjaNezumi
    @NinjaNezumi 3 роки тому +43

    Megasis is now a thing.
    I approve.

    • @PeteOliva
      @PeteOliva 3 роки тому +4

      I'm actually surprised no one had thought of it before, but this is brilliant.

    • @ukmikey846
      @ukmikey846 3 роки тому +3

      It'll always be the Genedrive to me.

    • @zyriuz2
      @zyriuz2 3 роки тому +1

      Megasis sounds....
      Mega sissy 😅

    • @twiff3rino28
      @twiff3rino28 3 роки тому +2

      Time to get a time machine for 1987-88 to tell Sega management. Don't forget the hairspray and Depeche Mode cassette before you go.

    • @ukmikey846
      @ukmikey846 3 роки тому

      @@twiff3rino28 They're more into prog rock.

  • @krono5el
    @krono5el 3 роки тому +2

    knew i wasnt crazy but Red Zone and Ranger X blew my mind back then on Sega Channel, always wondered at the miraculous stuff those games were doing back then at least for me : D red zone and the real time smoke effects still impress

    • @ChiefExecutiveOrbiter
      @ChiefExecutiveOrbiter 3 роки тому +2

      I've shown ranger x to people and they think it's a early Playstation One game 😂

  • @Hologhoul
    @Hologhoul Рік тому

    The Sega Alan Parsons Project 😅 Another uniquely brilliant video, I don't quite have the brain to follow the technical bits but really enjoy the idea of uncovering how these genius programmers found ways to do things. I wish I'd seen these 3D racing games back then, I somehow missed them aside from Road Rash. Some of these look incredible, that last one is a work of art!

  • @yuvraj01
    @yuvraj01 2 роки тому +1

    Ranger X should have got a sequel, imagine what they could have done with it being developed for the Sega CD or Saturn, red-book audio all the way with some sprite-scaling included...

  • @verficationaccount
    @verficationaccount 3 роки тому +1

    Panorama Cotton looks awesome! I really like your joke / trivia ratio!

  • @DanielMonteiroNit
    @DanielMonteiroNit 3 роки тому +16

    Legend has it that Peter Gabriel quit due to the choice of releasing the game pad with only 3 action buttons

    • @sloppynyuszi
      @sloppynyuszi 3 роки тому +5

      That’s not legend, but common knowledge

    • @jasonblalock4429
      @jasonblalock4429 3 роки тому +4

      Yeah. Mostly, the Genidrive hardware design is a masterpiece of smart minmaxing, but I do think they were wrong about the joystick ports. Because, sure, I can see why they'd want to stick with the old 9-pin D connectors. They'd been used for joysticks back to the Atari 2600 and were dirt cheap. But that limited the pad to 8 inputs, which could be really restrictive for game designers - a problem made MUCH worse when the SNES launched with its 12-input controller and could handle much more complicated controls.

    • @aboriginalmang
      @aboriginalmang 3 роки тому +2

      @@jasonblalock4429 well, sharing some hardware parts with the old master system would squeeze down the manufacturing cost, so they thought "why not" obviously
      Also its got 3 action button while other systems of the era like the pc engine and amiga still got 2, and at least it fits much better in your hands than the snes controller does to compensate for the lack of buttons. The Dpad is better too. SNES was launched 2 years late.

    • @johnp8587
      @johnp8587 3 роки тому +1

      It took me a minute to get the joke. Lol

    • @davidaitken8503
      @davidaitken8503 3 роки тому

      @@aboriginalmang The SNES controller fits in my hands just fine AND it has more buttons. The 3 button controller was the single biggest limitation of the Genesis and the big reason SNES games had better play mechanics and more depth in general.

  • @Dirk1Steele
    @Dirk1Steele 3 роки тому

    Superb video. Pleased to say I own most of these including Panorama Cotton (plus that tea cup).

    • @Sharopolis
      @Sharopolis  3 роки тому

      Hang on to Panorama Cotton its not going to get any cheaper!

  • @icedlain
    @icedlain 3 роки тому +2

    For a 1990 game, Star Cruiser is a graphic beast with real 3D polygons, awesome music and colorful graphics.

    • @ultralowspekken
      @ultralowspekken 2 роки тому

      And a whopping 5fps
      Jokes aside it's marvelous and not very good at the same time

  • @andrewsprojectsinnovations6352
    @andrewsprojectsinnovations6352 3 роки тому +1

    1:48 Actually it is a pretty good analogy. Tiles in both cases are pre-defined, flat blocks with set dimensions that can be spread across a surface in a (usually rectangular) grid pattern. In fact, I always just assumed that analogy was what gave graphics tiles their name.

    • @CommodoreGreg
      @CommodoreGreg 3 роки тому

      In more cases than you realize the verbiage is correct and the failure is our education systems.

  • @justanotheryoutubechannel
    @justanotheryoutubechannel 2 роки тому +3

    The SVP is way more powerful than the SuperFX for sure, Virtua Racing runs at double the framerate of Stunt Race FX and has far more polygons on screen. The SVP in Virtua Racing typically renders 600 polygons per second, although I’ve read that the chip could render up to 1200 per second in certain conditions. I don’t know exact numbers for the Super FX but even the Super FX GSU-2, the strongest version, ran at a lower clock speed and was generally just a less powerful chip. It’s a real shame Sega never used the SVP more but the high cost is most likely why, they eventually decided to launch the 32X to give it a big boost of power.

    • @maroon9273
      @maroon9273 2 роки тому +1

      And 32x doomed and out sega into deeper hole which led to their demise.

  • @atomicskull6405
    @atomicskull6405 2 роки тому +2

    The Super Fx chip was certainly easier to use, the SNES had a pixel buss on the cartridge slot so it didn't have to generate tiles it just sent out the pixels from it's own bitmap framebuffer RAM on the cartridge and the SNES put that up as an additional graphics layer. The Megadrive didn't have anything like that so the SVP graphics had to be converted to tiles and then downloaded from tile ROM memory space and sent to the VDP.

    • @maroon9273
      @maroon9273 2 роки тому +1

      Due to the cartridge expansion support in the snes while the genesis has none. The only issue with super fx and sega svp the rom sizes maximum is 2 MB instead of 8 MB.

  • @sloppynyuszi
    @sloppynyuszi 3 роки тому +3

    Glad to see bloodshot. I honestly think this has been quite the overlooked game when it comes to Mega Drive system pushers on these retro channels. I had this when it was out. Graphically impressive, but navigating out of. Level after you beat a boss practically kills it.

  • @pernstar
    @pernstar 2 роки тому +2

    So, obvious question: Why no look at zero tolerance??? By far the best FPS on the Genesis IMHO :) Love your videos btw.

  • @byteknytestudios5690
    @byteknytestudios5690 2 роки тому +1

    the genesis is technically the first multi-core system available as you could actually use the 3.4 MHZ z80 alongside the 7 MHZ 68000, Demosceners have recently built 3D engines that can achieve 60FPS displaying of polygons and 30 FPS displaying of complex geometry.

  • @lolfunacount
    @lolfunacount 3 роки тому +4

    Underrated Channel. Incase you ever run out of console, i will suggestl you cover 10+ yo PCs, which were so often sold, they could considered a benchmark and do Games That Push the limits series on those.

  • @stevenmoore120
    @stevenmoore120 3 роки тому

    I haven't finished the video but Ranger X I've never heard of. My jaw was on the floor when I saw that a game like that existed back then. It looks outstanding.

  • @greenaum
    @greenaum Рік тому +1

    3:50 Actually each line of the Megadrive's screen can be given an offset, ie horizontally scrolled, without needing INTs or software. So no processing power needed.

  • @HARAHAUM
    @HARAHAUM 3 роки тому

    I have just known this channel. Good works! Great!

  • @RetroSegaDev
    @RetroSegaDev 3 роки тому +12

    Fab video 👌 underrated channel!

  • @maroon9273
    @maroon9273 2 роки тому +1

    Adding to list is Light Crusader, Toy story, vectorman 1 & 2, Mega Turrican, pocahontas, wrestlemania arcade (Best Digital Sprite based games and mk3 after) yuyu hakusho: battle to unite the demon plane and Dynamite Headdy.

  • @masterspartanchief33
    @masterspartanchief33 3 роки тому +4

    Playing Panorama Cotton on real Genesis is a real treat and so fun, I can attest to that! 😄

  • @Wasabialt
    @Wasabialt Рік тому +1

    The idea of ​​Ranger X reminds me of Hover Attack.

  • @Green-yp9ix
    @Green-yp9ix 3 роки тому

    Sago Mega Pudding? I almost fell off my chair, very funny my friend.. Great documentary...

  • @geminielectro
    @geminielectro 3 місяці тому +1

    That "rainbow road" in Panorama Cotton is in fact a river....

  • @jasonblalock4429
    @jasonblalock4429 3 роки тому +6

    9:40 Sorry to be 'that guy' but SNES Mode 7 could *not* rotate sprites. That's one of the biggest misconceptions about it. Mode 7 only scaled/rotated background layers. Even in situations where it looks like a sprite rotating, like Bowser's clown-copter at the end of SMW, it's still just clever use of a background.

  • @GotNextVideo
    @GotNextVideo 2 роки тому +1

    the Vectorman games always busted out a lot of flashy limit pushing tricks.

  • @breadbunbun
    @breadbunbun 3 роки тому +2

    Not mentioning Zero Tolerance or Star Cruiser was really a missed opputinity. Especially star cruiser

    • @PetrCobra
      @PetrCobra 3 роки тому +1

      Zero Tolerance had a tiny window and was a pretty crappy game all around. Try Bloodshot/Battle Frenzy. Full size window, varied weapon design, pretty great game design. I'll never understand why Zero Tolerance was the one everyone was talking about.

    • @breadbunbun
      @breadbunbun 3 роки тому

      @@PetrCobra Because zero tolerance didn't compromize on framerate. Bloodshot runs like garbage. And has lots of repetitive visuals and gameplay. While zero tolerance is much more varied and much better performance.

    • @PetrCobra
      @PetrCobra 3 роки тому

      @@breadbunbun Bloodshot has repetitive gameplay while Zero tolerance has varied gameplay, huh. I'm not saying you didn't play those games, but you sure talk like someone who didn't :-)

    • @breadbunbun
      @breadbunbun 3 роки тому

      @@PetrCobra Ive played both and im merely stating my opions and what i thought. If you thought one was better then go ahead. But try taking a look with fresh eyes at each side by side

  • @MaxOakland
    @MaxOakland Рік тому +1

    I would 100% watch a whole video on Cotton. Also I want to know more about how they did that Duke Nukem game. Never seen that vertical line thing. I’d love to know more details

    • @MaxOakland
      @MaxOakland Рік тому

      @@themeangene How does it do a vertical interrupt? I know it's barely possible on the systems I know more about (NES & SNES)

  • @ikke1981
    @ikke1981 3 роки тому +1

    Love the enthousiasm in the video

  • @alkenstein
    @alkenstein 3 роки тому +1

    Great video! Really good explanations. I was wondering if you've looked at Overdrive 2? Lots of nintendon't in that one 🙃

    • @-Lotek-The-B0T-ASSASS1N
      @-Lotek-The-B0T-ASSASS1N 4 місяці тому +1

      Or MD-NICCC vs SNES-NICCC for a 1:1 comparison! TITAN, now those guys im convinced are actual wizards! My jaw dropped when i saw Overdrive II live at Revision! It was simply put, a masterpiece of coding!

  • @aurel102001
    @aurel102001 3 роки тому +2

    zero tolerance was impressive also

  • @demonsty
    @demonsty 3 роки тому

    this was such a great video i really enjoyed it!

  • @zzador
    @zzador 3 роки тому +2

    Virtua racer ran with 30 fps (SVP chip). Starfox ran only with 15 fps (FX chip) and had approx. the same detail as Virtua Racer. Nough said!

    • @StriderVM
      @StriderVM 3 роки тому +1

      The Genesis Virtua Racing runs at about 15FPS but very consistently. Star Fox actually runs at about 15 to 10FPS depending on the scenario.

    • @maroon9273
      @maroon9273 2 роки тому

      I think star fox 2 and vr comparison is much better.

  • @justanotheryoutubechannel
    @justanotheryoutubechannel 2 роки тому +8

    Wow, I didn’t know about Kawasaki Superbike but I’m super impressed, it looks amazing and the framerate is really smooth even though it’s got loads of 3D, if looks like the framerate is even smoother than F1’s Turbo Mode despite being much more detailed.

    • @bweeptabop3944
      @bweeptabop3944 10 місяців тому

      The end of this video was too funny!

  • @maxinsano7376
    @maxinsano7376 3 роки тому +4

    I sub'd as soon as you said that mode 7 was the Super Nintendo's "Party piece". Really enjoyed your commentary !

  • @nugboy420
    @nugboy420 3 роки тому +1

    I love all your names for the console lol

  • @LeoStaley
    @LeoStaley 3 роки тому +3

    Wonderful. Loved the shout-out to gamehut

  • @althejazzman
    @althejazzman 3 роки тому

    Kawasaki Superbike Challenge also looks very similar to Super Monaco GP. I played that so much as a teenager. I recently revived my console setup, and bought Virtua Racer for only £25. It's cheap now, but apparently it retailed for £80 back when that was over a month's pocket money! That's probably why we didn't see any other SVP carts. That and the 32X was on it's way.

  • @cookieskoon2028
    @cookieskoon2028 2 роки тому +1

    The biggest pitfall of the Snes (apart from its poorly designed fragile power jack) was the slow CPU. Definitely gave the Genesis a lasting edge which produced some extremely impressive titles. After all, limitation breeds ingenuity and competition compels creativity. It was a wonderful era for game design; well, for the gamers at least.

  • @BlueEyedVibeChecker
    @BlueEyedVibeChecker 24 дні тому

    Star Cruiser was Starfox before Starfox, and it runs on the MegaDrive without any enhancement chips.
    Released in 1990 for the MegaDrive in Japan, fully polygonal too.