Funco Land - A land of Fun...co..

Where kids came to trade in their games for $3 and buy pre-owned ones for $50 with nice colorful cases. The good 'ol days!

Toys'R'Us Video Game Slips Nostalgia

When all it took was a video game slip to purchase your favorite video game

A Re-seller RANT

The days of where we could find NES and SNES games for a few dollars are gone...thanks to the RESELLER. A RANT.

How I let EARTHBOUND slip through my fingers...

My ultimate prize...gone again.

The Ultimate NES Review Collection

Join me as I suffer through every single NES game known to man! Prepare yourself!

Showing posts with label Sega Genesis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sega Genesis. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #50 : Comix Zone


Title : Comix Zone

Publisher : Sega

Developer : Sega Technical Institute

Genre : Beat 'Em Up

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1995

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15 - $20

Little fun fact about me (in case you didn't know already); I dabbled in the comic book industry. That's right. This writer right here, was part of the famed Marvel / DC comic boom! Honestly, no. I never did any real work for Marvel and DC and in fact the only work I did was for independent publishers and a few of the semi-big ones (Image / Dark Horse). Now, those jobs were only acquired by connections, and the only things I did were basic coloring gigs (mostly flats with a few pages of details). 

Hell, the comic book industry is incredibly tough to break into, so if you're trying to, good luck. I'm going to stick with my writing career, which unfortunately is just as difficult. I've chosen some good careers, haven't I?


Now, I've been a comic book buff since I could first read. In fact comic books HELPED me LEARN how to read. No joke. Images + Dialogue = securing a reader's attention. So of course, my love for comics would make me a sucker for comic book based video games. COMIX ZONE for Sega Genesis though, isn't based on any comic book I know, but rather pits you, the player, into a comic book world. Just think about getting sucked into a comic book and having to battle you're way out.....

Sort of like the video for TAKE ON ME.....ha...funny.

1995 is a little bit late for a sega release, but you know what, we still have to give it a shot anyway. Hopefully the comic-styled inspiration can set this game apart from some of the other beat 'em ups..or maybe this should get tossed right into the paper shredder.


And Inkers aren't tracers.


COMIX ZONE stars Sketch Turner (wow...what a name), a starving artist from NYC. Now listen, I've been a starving artist all my life, and we don't all look like this. So, you're working on your brand, spanking new comic called COMIX ZONE about aliens invading earth (yay originality). Here's the kicker, which is quite the fun idea. Now, one night lightning strikes a page of Sketch's comics. Why he would be drawing in a place where lightning could randomly enter in through an open window and electrocute him is beyond me. Now, the powers of lightning end up pulling out the villain from the comic, Mortus, into the real world. What Mortus ends up doing, is shoving YOU into the comic where he draws an endless stream of enemies to kill you. Because, you know, that's what happens when you're brought to life out of a comic.

There's actually QUITE a few twists and turns throughout the game, which I won't spoil for you here if you decide to play it, but what makes this even more incredible is that this is a beat 'em up with TWO ENDINGS! WOW! Of course, one is good...one is bad. But you'll figure it out.

As with any platformer, you'd expect to move side to side, but COMIX ZONE gives it a bit of a variation. Instead of just moving from side to side, you are moving through panels of your own comic strip. Talking about breaking the fourth wall! It's a really clever way of changing up the standard, and brings some fresh life into an otherwise saturated game genre.


Punching and kicking your way through the panels is all well and good, but  you'll also have access to 3 available item slots which you can store pick ups you find along the way. Anything from iced tea to restore your health ( I think it's actually an alcoholic beverage ), bombs and knives for killing, or blowing up barriers, his pet rat...

Okay..hold on. I know we're starving artists but we just don't automatically keep pet rats...well, this guy finds treasure on the screen.

Then there's the SUPER FIST which transforms you into SUPER SKETCH. JOY!

Another little trick is that you can rip off the background of the page and turn into a deadly paper airplane (at expense of some of your health) and use it as a super weapon which can both destroy enemies and damage you greatly if you're not careful. I honestly, forgot entirely about it through most of the playthrough, and only used it once.


I was hooked on this gamer, but it's not without it's problems. First of all, it's INSANELY SHORT. I'm talking only a few levels, and you're done. At least that makes it easy to get both endings but still, I would at least like to play for an hour or 2...not a half hour. 


Secondly, it's hard. I'm talking REALLY HARD. This is one of the most difficult beat 'em ups I have ever played. For some reason, the enemies are just way too overpowered and are able to kill you in a few hits, while you have to punch them thirty or forty times just to kill them. Quite unfair. And don't even get me started on the bosses. CHEAP....


Besides that though, you've got a great game all around with smooth controls, superb graphics and a soundtrack that blows other games out of the water (especially for the Sega Genesis which I rip apart all the time).

I guess my love for comics plays a huge role in why I actually really like this game, but i can understand why there is such a cult following for it too. Too bad they released it so late, because if it wasn't for other game systems being out, this could have been a big one in terms of popularity.

Final Score (out of 5) :



Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #49: Combat Cars


Title : Combat Cars

Publisher : Accolade

Developer : Accolade


Genre : Racing / Vehicular Combat

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1994

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $4 - $5

APRIL FOOLS!! Yeah, I really don't care for this "day" because of people trying waaaaaaay too hard to pull pranks. But, I'll tell you one prank I pulled that was beyond epic back in the day. One day, while my folks were at work and I was home from college classes, I decided to set up a bit of a crime scene at my house. I taped up my driveway, and a few doors with caution / police tap. Spilled a bit of fake blood all over the ground, and drew a chalk outline. But it wasn't any chalk outline. It was a chalk outline of MICKEY MOUSE. The reason? Well, my mom is a huge fan of Disney, and I figured the best way to piss her off was to kill off the rat. It worked, she was pissed, but first she thought everyone in the house was brutally murdered. Good times...good times.

Well, on to a Sega game. Feels like it's been ages since I reviewed one, and here we are with a pretty damn crappy one. COMBAT CARS. It seems like so many of these vehicular combat racing games were done back for the SNES / GENESIS and even PS. Of course, the only one that ever comes to mind is TWISTED METAL, which is the best in my opinion. Sweet Tooth for the win. Although, not as much racing, as it is killing each other. This is more in line with Mario Kart..eh..sort of.

I apologize in advance for comparing it to Mario Kart...truly..I am sorry.


Like most racing games, each racer has it's own strengths and weakness when it comes to speed / handling / defensive / offensive capabilities. So, choose whoever you are most comfortable with. For me, it really didn't matter because the game bored me to the point where I only tried to cars and gave up. But here's who you can choose from..name wise..I don't even know who's who anymore, ha.

  • Jackyl
  • Sadie
  • Ray
  • Mekmac
  • Metro
  • Growl
  • Mama
  • Andrew

Gotta, love those names, right? Mekmac? Metro? Growl!? That's not even a name...what is it with the future where everyone adopts dumb ass names. Each racer has their own unique weapon specific to them. There's a lot of 'em, from shotguns, to missiles, to oil slicks, to nitro boosts..and other random weapons that aren't even weapons. Honestly, I barely used them because I was too busy focusing on the damn race tracks which are a pain in the ass to follow.



There's 24 tracks in this game, and each one is a thousand times worse than the last. It's an overhead perspective, and the camera is so damn close to your car that you barely have any time to react when you approach a tight turn. Hell, I've spun out and collided with walls just because I had NO IDEA what was ahead of me. Seriously, racing games are not meant to be designed like this. Not unless the camera is zoomed all the way out, or you give me a freaking map of the course!

Between each race, you'll win money which acts your score. You of course want the highest score in order to rank higher, but you also need to spend money to upgrade your vehicle. This is where you have to decide how much you want to spend, and what you want to spend it on. Don't spend too much, because then you'll end up in a lower rank. Seriously, just let me spend my damn money.


Problems with this game? Well, I already complained about the racing portion, and that's the entire game so do I really have to list anymore? Controls are garbage, how about that. Graphics? Meh, it's better off on an 8-bit system. Sure, colors are nice...occasionally.

Music? That's the surprisingly the only thing I enjoyed!

Listen, you want a combat racing game? There's plenty of others out there. Avoid this one. It's cheap trash.


Final Score (out of 5):



Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #58: Columns


Title : Columns

Publisher : Sega

Developer : Sega


Genre : Puzzle

Players : 1 / 2 Players

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date): $1 - $3

First thing I want to do before I get into this QUICK (and I'm talking quick, because there is not much to talk about when it comes to puzzle games in my book), is unveil the WINNER of my first blog giveaway.

Drum roll please? I'm literally tapping on my desk very loudly.


JOE WILHELM! CONGRATULATIONS!! You are the new, proud owner of your very own Nintendo Entertainment System retro starter kit! I'll be sending you an e-mail later on today to confirm so please respond asap, otherwise I'll have to pick a new winner! And we won't won't that now would we? Well, maybe the other people will lol.

Anyway, most of my other contests will actually be moved over to SUB contests for my YouTube channel which I'm trying to build up, AND if you haven't done so already, TODAY is the last day to sub and sign up for the 50 sub contest. Here's the link the video, and all you have to do to enter is comment on the video on what your favorite PS1 or PS2 game was. It's that easy!

50 Sub YouTube contest - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFZg_elxp1Y

Now, on to the review. In the land of Facebook puzzle games a la Bejeweled, it's hard to remember where all these games originally stemmed for. It was such classics as Tetris and Columns that really built the basis for these games. Sure, I think of Tetris as the "OG", but Columns certainly did manage to make a name for itself.

Think of it as Tetris with a twist, with just as good music, ha!


COLUMNS follows the same basic principle has most "column" or "block dropping" games. In Tetris, you just needed to fill in all the gaps and make a straight line, but in Columns you need to match various gems to one another in order to clear out the blocks. 

The screen is set up as two rectangular "game areas" - two because you can play this game simultaneously with another player, which is always fun when having a little competition. A set of three, different jewels will fall from the top of the screen, with a preview of what's coming in the middle. As the blocks follow, you'll need to position them by switching the jewels using the directional pad so they match up how you want them to. Basically, it's like moving the blocks around in tetris, but now you're moving the jewels and the direction of the blocks. 

A little bit more complex, but not by much.


Once clearing out a set of jewels, the blocks drop down and more can disappear if the colors end up matching diagonally, horizontally, or vertically. Much like Tetris, you'll see a huge number of blocks disappear if you can execute a nice little combo.

There's also a nice little "magic gem" that'll make it's appearance every so often. Once this lands on the pile of blocks, it'll randomly change into a certain gem and clear out all the like gems surrounding it. A good way to get yourself out of a pickle.

The game's difficulty is basically based off speed settings, so the jewels fall faster giving you less time to figure out how to position them. It's not for the faint of heart mind you, and the panic ensues once the music speeds up letting you know that you are near death! DEATH!!!!!


COLUMNS is a great puzzle game, that has made it's home on many a Sega consoles, after all it was strictly a Sega feat. Besides the typical "how long can you last mode", there is also a time trial mode in which you just try to rack up as many points as possible in a given time, and a "mining" mode in which you try to break through a large pre-determined blocks.

The game is colorful, the music is great (although not as memorable as Tetris), and the game does it's job.

Not much more to say here, Sega does it right with this puzzle game, and I do enjoy it every now and again, but this one is more my Dad's cup of tea. He was obsessed with these games. Me? Give me Mario or Sonic.


Final Score (out of 5):



Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #57: Clue


Title : Clue


Publisher : Parker Brothers

Developer : Sculptured Software


Genre : Board Game

Players : 2 - 6 Players

Release Date : 1992

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15 - $20

The Professor, in the Billiard Room, with a pipe. Am I right? AM I?! No, of course not, it was TIM CURRY! HE DID IT! Has anyone here ever seen the movie CLUE? Tell em that movie isn't freaking hilarious. Tim Curry, of course, makes the movie just like every other movie he is in. Come on, LEGEND? ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW? HOME ALONE 2!? I digress, this isn't about the movie (although it is available on Netflix right now!), this is about the board game. Or should I say, the video board game.

I was never really a fan of board game / video games. To me board games should stick to what their good at. Being on a board on your dining room table while you're surrounded by family. Then again, there are a few games where it works. Monopoly never seemed to have an issue when I played it on the NES, and I do actually remember playing CLUE on the Super Nintendo. I actually think I rented it?

Yeah, I had the board game already, yet I remember renting the video game. I don't know what was going through my head. I also recall that I was horrible at this game, much like I was with other board games when I was a kid. Yes, I was one of those people that quit midway through the game because I wasn't winning. The only game I was good at was Mouse Trap and Fireball Island. Now why didn't they make a game out of that!?


Oh well, here's CLUE for the Sega Genesis.


The concept is the same as the board game. Figure out WHO killed Mr. Boddy, WHERE they did it, and WITH WHAT item they did it with. You start out by choosing the difficulty of the game which starts from amateur to detective rank, although each one is pretty damn hard in it's own right. Then you'll go ahead and pick your own character, whoever else is playing with you, and let me recommend this right here play with other people because playing with the computer is just plain sad. Trust me, always more fun to goof off with your friends when playing clue. Especially when you start claiming that you're the murderer. WHAT FUN!

You've got your characters, and now you get your cards which you'll use to determine the CLUES in each of the rooms. At the start of each turn, you roll your dice, and move your character toward any room you wish. Once you enter said room, you'll apply your cards that you want to use as "evidence", and then the game will tell you a CLUE about what was given. For example - You choose MS. SCARLET, in the LOUNGE, with the LEAD PIPE. If the lead pipe wasn't in the lounge, the game might tell you "THE LEAD PIPE WASN'T IN THE LOUNGE" so obviously, the lead pipe wasn't the weapon used in the lounge....der?

This is one of those games, that just confuses the hell out of you if you don't start taking notes as to what's going on lol.


You'll also have the opportunity to interrogate people based on the evidence you've collected. Let's say you're certain that someone was in a room with an object, you question them and see if what you are thinking is right. However, if someone has a card that counteracts what you're interrogating them about, they have to reveal that the evidence proves otherwise.

Wow, writing this damn review up, I've realized it's impossible to explain the rules of CLUE. Eventually, you get to make an accusation, and if you accuse the right person of using the right weapon in the right location, YOU WIN! Now back to the game mechanics.

As a video game, CLUE surprisingly works. The character designs, and little animations are actually quite entertaining and done very well. It's like watching a mini movie. Oh, and I must say that the music is hilarious for some reason. Makes me feel like I'm involved in one of those "murder mystery night" shows you can take part in. 

Not much else can be said about this game. It's the board game in video game format, with catchy music, quirky graphics, and is just a tad bit easier than the board game. Still, I'm all for family night at the dining room table, but this game works while others don't.

Now, if you don't mind I am going to re-watch CLUE. TIM CURRY, WHERE ARE YOU!?

Final Score (out of 5)



Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #56: Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck


Title : Chuck Rock II : Son of Chuck

Publisher : Core Design

Developer : Core Design

Genre : Action Platformer

Players : 1

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $7 -  $10

Hmm, I wasn't really planning on playing another CHUCK ROCK game so soon, but I guess I have to suffer through this one and get it over with. So, remember in the first game CHUCK somehow managed to mack it with some incredibly hot cave woman? Well, apparently they had a kid after CHUCK rescued her so this game is all about the kid.

You might be thinking, what happened to Chuck? Well, get this. Apparently Chuck has a knack for creating automobiles out of stone in the caveman era, and opened up a car company. Another rival car company is furious at his success, and decides to kidnap him. Yup, that's the story for CHUCK ROCK II. Stone automobile manufacturing at it's finest along with corporate greed and assassination plots. 

Can I stop now?


Although, I am playing this for the Sega Genesis, and I am kind of curious to see what these games were like on the other systems. BUT, I'm not eager to find out.

Strap on your diapers and take a poop. Here we go with Chuck Rock II.



There are really only two things in the world that scare the crap out of me. Creepy looking dolls, and creepy looking babies. So, for me this is a horror game. I'm sorry, but this BABY Chuck looks like a God damn alien in the game. And when he starts crying, oh boy, it turns into Super Mario World 2 with the crying Mario...just not as annoying.

Gameplay wise you're looking at the same type of game as the first Chuck Rock. A typical side-scrolling platformer, but this time you're just controlling Junior. Of course, Junior is equipped with a club this time because that's appropriate for a child. It does help his reach when fighting enemies however, so the game ends up being a bit easier than the first one. Not sure if it's because you're playing as a baby they make it sort of like baby mode.

No joke, was able to beat this game in 30 mins and I think I only died once out of sheer laziness.


Levels are nicely designed, and each portray a different theme such as water worlds, lava worlds, caves, grasslands, etc. Appropriate enemies populate each world, and as expected you'll be responsible for taking out the end-stage boss, which are actually pretty awesome. One thing I will say, is that this game is a bit of a visual upgrade from the first one, besides some areas looking a bit washed out but I blame that on the genesis' power. It's probably better on the other more powerful systems.


The game is flooded with humorous elements that try to grab some cheap laughs, like Dinos running around in their underwear after getting hit on the head by your club, or enemies crying after they are defeated. Weird stuff like that, but unfortunately I'm not laughing about it.

Although I did get a chuckle out of the baby bottle life style meter thing.


While better than the first Chuck Rock, this game does have it's fair share of problems. Hit Detection can be a pain in the arse at times, and the controls feel rather stiff. I can't stress how much controls can make or break a game. After all, if you can't control your character how can you have fun playing it?

Music is a bit of an upgrade, but sound effects are a bit grainy. Then again, I might end up blaming this on the sega genesis again.

As far as platformers go? It's average. Nothing great, nothing awful.


But, the worst thing about this game. The baby...creepy...ass...baby....

JUST LOOK AT THE BABY FACE! WHAT IS THAT!?!?!


Final Score (out of 5): 




Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #55 : Chuck Rock


Title : Chuck Rock

Publisher : Virgin Interactive

Developer : Core Design

Genre : Action Platformer

Players : 1

Release Date : 1993

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $7 - $10

I'll never understand why CHUCK ROCK had gotten so popular back in the early 90's. I wasn't the type of person to fall for slap-stick, gimmicky platformers during the struggling age for developers and/or publishers to define themselves and their mascots. Who would ever in their right mind think a slightly disturbed, Popeye looking caveman with a beer gut could be a good idea? Agh! Sorry, cavemen get to me. Especially when they put Cavemen in games with dinosaurs.

CAVEMEN AND DINOSAURS DID NOT EXIST AT THE SAME TIME. COME ON, PEOPLE. I complain about odd things, don't I?


Thinking back there were quite a few caveman games out there. Now JOE & MAC, that was a good caveman game. Hell, even CAVEMAN GAMES was pretty fun, if you find Olympic styled sport games to be entertaining. I feel like two or three are all you need in the grand scheme of things. Okay, okay..CHUCK ROCK isn't bad. In fact it's probably one of the most decent platformers out there, hence why it became so popular. I just can't stand looking at his damn face.

Here we go. CHUCK ROCK for the Sega Genesis. The Boogerman of the prehistoric era.


No, cavemen don't have instruments, and dinosaurs can't play guitar. Unacceptable. Quick, press start and get out of this damn title screen. Here we go, a caveman who likes to belly hump enemies with his beer gut, repeat the phrase UNGA BUNGA, and toss rocks in the air all while chomping down on some raw dino steaks. Oh, yeah, and that band you see on the title screen? Chuck is the lead singer.

I kid you not. What the hell kind of story line is this. Now does Chuck Rock refer to the fact that he's in a rock band, or because he literally likes to chuck rocks? Discuss. And how does he have such a hot wife? Yeah, premise of the game. Your wife gets kidnapped by some arse named Gary Gritter. Guess what? YOU get to rescue her. Yaaay originality.


It's hard to really discuss this game, because if you've played one platformer you've played them all. You battle enemies, you jump on different levels and occasionally use some rocks to position yourself higher. At the end of each stage (stages, in levels...uh..areas..damn I need to write a blog post about proper video game terminology), you'll fight some bosses.

I can say that the controls are very smooth for the game, and the gameplay is a tad too easy for my taste, but you know what it's one of the few platformers that really didn't annoy me with a far fetched difficulty level in certain areas. It progresses enough that while it does get difficult, it doesn't drive you mad.

Oh, and the belly bump is hilarious.


The developers did do an amazing job of creating a full animated world with some impressive stylized characters and backgrounds. I do admit, I'm a sucker for the cartoony look, so the game earns bonus points there. Still, while I love the designs, Chuck's design pisses me off. Not sure why though. He just reminds me too much of Robin Williams when he played Popeye.


Music..eh...it's typical platforming music and once again for some reason Sega doesn't sound as good as the SNES. I need to really look into the audio boards for both systems and figure out why SNES always sounded better. Anyone have any info on that? I'm feeling a tad bit lazy now. Not enough coffee this morning, ha!

That's it for CHUCK ROCK. A standard platformer, that at least performs well, but still..enough with the cavemen and gimmicky mascots. Unga Bunga my butt.

Final Score (out of 5) :



 Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Nerdicus Genesis Review #54: Chiki Chiki Boys (Mega Twins)


Title : Chiki Chiki Boys (Mega Twins)

Publisher : Sega

Developer : Visco

Genre : Action Platformer

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1990

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $30 - $40

How can you not love anime-styled platforming games like this? Heck, it's like I'm watching some sort of saturday morning anime cartoon special on FOX KIDS from back in the 90's. You remember that, right? Or was it WB11? I'm trying to think of what station had all the anime in the morning. Kicking it off with Sailor Moon, and then moving on to Dragon Ball Z. I even think they had Ranma 1/2 or something as well. 

Anyway, just looking at this cutsey stylized box art suckered me in immediately. Even the title. CHIKI CHIKI BOYS! They certainly do look cheeky, ha! Well, it's called CHIKI CHIKI boys everywhere but the states where it's actually known as MEGA TWINS for other systems. Meh, give me CHIKI CHIKI any day, and thankfully Sega did just that. Capcom was the one in charge releasing this for the good 'ol Arcade, but it was left to Sega and Visco to bring this port over to the Sega Genesis. I have to say, they did a pretty damn good job of it too. In fact, this game reminded me a bit of a long lost sequel to the Wonder Boy series for the Master System. 

You would think I'd be bored of platformers already, and I somewhat am, but I'm always willing to take a look at one with such a happy-go-lucky rag tam team of fighters who are basically five-year-olds.

Fingers crossed it's a good one, because I've got other games to play and unfortunately not many people have even HEARD of this one.


The title screen just screams "this game is going to be AWESOME!" EXPLOSIVE!!!! Stars!! It's turning into Kirby's Adventure, isn't it? Here we go, standard platformer fanfare with a story to match. You probably could have guessed without me having to even tell you, but this of course follows the Chiki Chiki Boys on their quest to rid the land of evil. The funny part, is that these kids are supposed to be around 15-years-old in the game.

15....really.......

I'm not buying it.

You'll start off by choosing one of the Chiki twins. The blue twin, who is an expert sword-fighter is your main melee-styled character. Amazing with the sword, but lacking in the magic department. Therefore, you've got your counterpart, the red twin, a superior magic user who can mop the floor with enemies with a casting of a spell. It really comes down to what you're more comfortable playing with. Do you like to get up close and personal with foes? Or kill them from afar? Choose wisely, as you'll be stuck with your chiki boy for the rest of the game. Me? Give me a tank....

I'll tell you this much, the blue twin is a bit more balanced and can take more hits than his red counterpart. Consider the BLUE TWIN easy mode, and the RED TWIN hard mode. Think about that when you make your decision.


Here comes the fun part. This game has some of the most brilliant level, and character design that I've seen in a sega platformer. I'm talking vibrant colors, hilarious enemies, grand scaled bosses, and fluid animation. Seriously, it felt like playing through a cartoon. Of course, it's not as "anime-themed" as the box art made it appear to be, but you know what they tended to do that with video games. It's like a video game-themed-anime-style. Whatever, it works!

There are a whopping nine levels in this game, each with a different theme ranging from grasslands, to underground caverns, jungles and of course monstrous castles. And of course...a water level....what game would be complete without a water level...

Monsters are catered to each level design, and each level ends with a boss fight that can end up being quite difficult. Bosses take a boat load of hits to defeat and have the tendency to cover the entire screen with their body as well as their attacks making it difficult to avoid. Then again, who said platformers are easy? Don't worry, there are more than enough magic chests to fall on your head and provide you with power ups up and health items to make your quest a tad bit easier.

Defeat each boss, and you'll be granted mystical items that will allow you eventually teleport to the main antagonists abode where you will of course deliver a vile case of kick-ass.


After playing through this game, it's even more disappointing that more people don't know about it. Then again, it's always a pleasure to discover hidden gems such as this that really remind me why I loved old school games so much. Not to mention, it's been awhile since I played a decent platformer on the genesis, so there's that. 

Controls are fluid, and easy to master, and while the game proves to be difficult at some point with tricky jumps and overwhelming enemies and bosses, it never poses to be so hard that it's frustrating. It teeters right on the edge.

The true bliss of this game lies in it's spectacular design. The music is brilliant, and of course I can go on and on about the visuals. It's a breath of fresh air in my eyes with an atmosphere that just brings a smile to my face. Funny how just a fresh palette can work wonders. Games don't always have to be dark and gloomy. Just look at Legend of the Mystical Ninja? Holy cow did I love the design scheme of that game, and I can't help but think a bit about that when I played through CHIKI CHIKI BOYS.

CHIKI CHIKI BOYS may be hard to find to add to your collection, but it's worth the pick up if you ever see it staring you in the face. Glad to have been able to mark this one off my list.

Final Score (out of 5)



Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming