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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Konami, 1992)
If you've been following this blog, then you've probably already seen my blog post gushing about the fantastic Super Nintendo port of Turtles in Time. Not wanting to leave Genesis owners in the dust, Konami retooled the game, mixed around stages and bosses (While even adding a few new ones!) changed the game's plot, and the result was Hyperstone Heist. The game looks, plays and controls pretty much identically to Turtles in Time. However, the stages are a lot longer this time around, and the game's actually a bit more difficult as a result, though it's not too huge of a jump in difficulty. Two player Co-Op is still present, and many of Turtles in Time's tunes were arranged using the Genesis sound chip, along with a few new compositions. Personally, I prefer some of the tracks in the Genesis version, if only for sounding closer to their Arcade counterparts than the SNES versions do.
Why prioritize it? You're probably going to get tired of me saying this, but it's a licensed game that'll probably never see a re-release. Even more importantly, this game tends to get overshadowed by Turtles in Time and some of the other TMNT games from that era (like Tournament Fighters, for example), making a re-release even more unlikely.
How much? For the cartridge alone, the going price seems to e somewhere between $30 and $40. If you want a complete copy, expect to pay between $45 and 60.
Sample Gameplay:
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Konami, 1994)
I'll be honest here: A good chunk of this list is going to be Konami stuff. With that said, Castlevania: Bloodlines has the unique distinction of being the only Castlevania game to appear on a Sega platform outside of Japan. (The only other CV title on a Sega platform was Symphony of the Night/Nocturne in the Moonlight for the Sega Saturn, which was ported shortly after the PS1 release in Japan, only.) It's also the first game in the main series to not star a Belmont. Instead, you play as John Morris, a descendant from a branch family of the Belmonts, and his best friend, spear wielding Eric Lecarde, as they battle across Europe to stop the vampiress Elizabeth Bartley, as she attempts to revive Dracula once again. Compared to Super Castlevania IV on the Super Nintendo, Bloodlines takes more of a back to basics approach, and the game is structured in the same arcade-y fashion that the original NES trilogy was built as, instead of the epic, focused journey of SCIV. (I'm also of the opinion that Bloodlines is a better game, but that's a blog post for another day)
This game is also a fantastic example of what the Genesis can do when pushed to it's limits. Konami gave the Genesis some strong support, and this game is definitely one of the showcases, both graphically and music-wise as well. Speaking of which, this game also marked the debut of (former) Konami mainstay Michiru Yamane, who compsed the score for this game, and would go on to compose for many other Castlevania games, including the absolutely sublime soundtrack for Symphony of the Night. (Which is the best gaming soundtrack ever composed, in this blogger's humble opinion.) In particular, "Calling From Heaven", the theme for the final stage in the game is a favorite of mine; Yamane manages to blend a catchy, yet haunting melody with a great drum beat going on in the background.
Why prioritize this? For some reason or another, Castlevania Bloodlines has never seen a re-release on Virtual Console. In fact, a good portion of Konami's 8 and 16 Bit platformers seem to been missing from the service, even the ones that don't have any licensing problems behind them. Considering that this is one of the few Castlevania games to get a direct sequel (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the Nintendo DS), you would think Konami would make the game available for those who want to see where the story of the Morris clan started.
How much? The cartridge alone will run you about $35, while a complete copy will go for anywhere between $45 and 55.
Contra: Hard Corps (Konami, 1994)
Okay, last Konami game, I promise.
Contra: Hard Corps might just be the most aptly titled video game of all time. In a series pretty much known for it's brutal difficulty, Hard Corps manages to make every other Contra title before it look like child's play. With branching paths, multiple playable characters and multiple endings, it's arguably the biggest Contra game from that era. The Co-Op play is fantastic, and playing through the game with someone else helps make the game a bit easier. Compared to the likes of Contra III on Super Nintendo (Spoiler Alert: A blog post gushing about that game is probably going to happen soon!), Contra Hard Corps has less of an emphasis on platforming (though it's still definitely a big element in the game's level design) and more of an emphasis on boss fights. Some of the craziest boss fights in the series can be found in this game, including one against a robotic track runner. No, I'm not kidding. Yes, it's every bit as awesome as it sounds.
Why prioritize this? Like with Castlevania Bloodlines, it's a game strangely absent from the Virtual Console. And just like Bloodlines, the game also received a current gen sequel (well, prequel) with Hard Corps: Uprising, on PSN and XBLA.
How much? The loose cartridge goes for about $30 these days. The complete game will probably run you about $50 or so.
Sample Gameplay:
Gunstar Heroes (Treasure, 1993)
If you ever wondered where the hell this blog got it's name from, look no further than Gunstar Heroes.
Gunstar Heroes is the first game developed by Treasure, a company formed by former Konami employees that felt like they were getting railroaded by upper Konami management. They would go on to create stellar titles, such as Alien Soldier on the Genesis, Radiant Silvergun on the Sega Saturn, Mischief Makers and Sin and Punishement on the Nintendo 64, the stellar Astro Boy Omega Factor for Game Boy Advance, and even Wario World for the Gamecube. Needless to say, Treasure has one of the most solid resumes in the entire videogame industry. It might just be the only developer I can think of who hasn't ever crafted a bad game.
Gunstar Heroes is a co-op run and gun in the vein of Contra (In fact, several of Contra III's lead staff members developed this!), though the focus in Gunstar is in the crazy, over the top scenarios that consistently aims to top itself, all the way to the end of the game. One very notable part of the game comes on the form of Seven Force, a giant, transforming piece of armor that's fought at a breakneck pace in a mineshaft, that transforms between seven unique forms throughout the boss fight. It's basically seven intense boss fights in one, and I can confidently say it's my favorite boss in all of gaming. (And it's also what the URL of this blog is named after.)
Gunstar Heroes is just an excellently crafted game all around. It does things you wouldn't normally expect to see from the run-and-gun genre, and keeps you on your toes the whole way through. To make a fighting game comparison here, Contra is like Street Fighter: It can be slower, more methodical, and even though there's moments where you have to think on your feet, you can approach it at a steady pace. Gunstar Heroes would be more akin to Marvel Vs. Capcom, where there's lasers and explosions everywhere, and "Fuck it, YOLO" is actually a legit strategy at times.
Why prioritize this? Unlike every other game on this list, Gunstar Heroes has been re-released numerous times. It's available on Wii Virtual Console, has an Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network port with (Admittedly sketchy) online support, and the game was even remade for the Game Boy Advance as Gunstar Super Heroes. so why bother, if you have those avenues to take?
Well, there really isn't any reason, to be completely honest, unless you like having physical copies. The Wii Virtual Console version is definitely serviceable if you have access to a Wii, and the PSN/XBLA ports are... acceptable as well.
How much? You can probably nab a loose copy for about $25 bucks. A complete copy will range anywhere from $30 to $45.
Ristar (Sega, 1995)
Ristar was the first non-Sonic title developed by Sonic Team (in it's original form). The game revloves around a star like creature named Ristar that can stretch his arms out to grab objects and propel himself at enemies. The game's conception actually revisits an unused concept for a rabbit like creature that could stretch it's ears to grab objects. That rabbit like creature would eventually go through many different designs and changes, and later evolved into a game about a certain speedy hedgehog we all know and either love or hate.
Despite not being a Sonic game, there's something distinctly Sonic Team about the game; You can definitely tell the Sonic guys were behind this game when playing it. It's a pretty fun and inventive platformer with some really nice environments, although the game hits a difficulty spike somewhere between the third and fourth worlds, and just gets ungodly difficult by the time you reach the final levels. It's still a trip worth taking, in my opinion, especially if you're a fan of Sega platformers.
Why prioritize this? Ristar has actually seen release on numerous Sega compilations dating back to Sonic Mega Collection on the Gamecube, where it was a surprise unlockable. It's really only worth getting if you want a hard copy of the game.
How much? Loose cartridges go for about $30 to 35. Complete copies go for anywhere between $44 and $60.
Sample gameplay:
Well, that marks off Part 1 of this list. Next time, I'll get into the Super Nintendo side of things.
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