Here’s where I crack my knuckles, take a deep breath, and get to work: I’m going to rank all of the games on the Turbografx-16 Mini (and give you a few thoughts on the system itself), and while this is without a doubt a silly undertaking, I am after all, a silly man.
If you have no clue what I’m talking about, let me catch you up! The Turbografx-16 Mini is the latest and greatest* retro micro-console to hit the video game market. These “mini” consoles are basically plug-and-play versions of classic gaming systems from the past pre-loaded with a set number of games and designed to work with modern televisions. This particular one is over 50 games, some of which are NOTORIOUSLY (all caps) difficult/expensive to acquire.
* Yes, it’s the best of the mini consoles, and by a substantial margin.
My nostalgia for the original system is well documented. And the good news is the new mini-system lives up to basically all expectations. Yes, it’s niche. Yes, it has some (okay, several) clunkers. But it gets into levels of greatness and insanity most systems stay away from at all costs.
Hey Nintendo, release 60 percent of your games in Japanese, you cowards.
I previously outlined what I wished was on here and didn’t make it, and my thoughts there haven’t changed. The best possible mini consoles re-capture those feelings of nostalgia and youth with games you’ve played before, but also offer the chance to play the ones you missed. That’s the sweet spot. In this case, I had only played FIVE of these games before, but my adoration for those five — Air Zonk, Bonk’s Adventure, Bonk’s Revenge, New Adventure Island, and R-Type — was strong. The bigger appeal for this console was the games I’d missed.
Mileage varies on all of this stuff. So if you’re not a fan of shooters, for example, you might struggle with this line-up. Indeed, I had trouble coming up with a proper order for said shooters because there are … just … SO … MANY.
But anyway back to the point I think I was making: these things can never be perfect, and we should all recognize that before trying to evaluate.
So with all that said, let’s get to some rankings of the games! For some of you, this will read like a greatest hits list. For others of you, you won’t recognize a single game. Regardless, I hope everyone gets something out of this. The more experienced of you may have fun quibbling over the rankings and/or bathing in the nostalgia. The neophytes might find out a whole lot about something that sparks some genuine curiosity.
Either way, this helps me organize my own thoughts.
My usual caveat: Some of these games I’m not very deep into at all. I suspect several will grow on me as I progress further. So in other words, please be gentle if I’m dismissive of your favorite game … I might just need some more time with it.
Anyhow, here’s my current ranking of the 52* games on the Turbografx-16 Mini.
* There are five repeats in the actual lineup that differ based on language, a few “bonus” versions of games that are essentially jazzed-up to be closer to arcade-level in graphics and sound, and some hidden mini-games. For this list (and my sanity), I’m lumping all versions/mini-games under the title that they appear with. My list, my rules.
52. Super Momotarō Dentetsu II — It’s a weird Japanese version of Monopoly mixed with toy trains, which isn’t a deal-breaker in and of itself (it almost sounds interesting in concept), but there’s nothing else here other than volumes of Japanese text and a couple of basic animations. Look, if you speak the language and enjoy the culture, you may like this a whole lot more than this. But for most people, it’s an easy game to slot in the very bottom position (unless you’re irrationally angry at other games … more on those later!).
51. Jaseiken Necromancer — This is an old-as-hell grinding style of RPG in the tradition of games like Dragon Warrior. That’s already a point against it, since that style of RPG is one of the last I’d like to subject myself to at this stage of my life. “Hey sir, can I interest you in 40 hours of repetitively pushing the same button over and over again in the same battles over and over again so that you can save a generic pretend kingdom? I’ve got just the game!” Add in the fact that’s it’s completely untranslated and there’s just no way I’ll ever play it.
50. Moto Roader — My kids wanted to play this pretty much the moment they saw it, then spent about two minutes with it and gave up. I don’t blame them. The controls of the game are beyond frustrating, to the point that I’d call them broken. How can anyone effectively play this? Yes, it’s a five-player game, and to sell more TurboTaps, they needed more multiplayer games. But why this one? This is one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever played. I can imagine renting this back in the day and wanting my $3 back. It’s THAT bad. Yet here it is!
49. Victory Run — Okay, so let me see if I have this straight. The folks picking games for this thing decided they needed to include not just one racing game, but two, and they somehow settled on these two? We’ve got Sega crossovers here; why not include something like Outrun or Afterburner? They’d be appreciated as being ports that most people had never played before. Instead we’re left with broken-as-hell Moto Roader AND Victory Run, which isn’t broken, but IS supremely boring. I can’t begin to understand either choice, let alone pairing the two of them together. Let’s just move on.
48. Appare! Gateball — How badly did you need a croquet simulation in your life? Because the answer to that question may determine your ultimate enjoyment of this bad boy. I can appreciate that this is a game that isn’t meant for western audiences, but it’s also not anything most people are ever going to want to play again. And regardless of people’s affection for the sport, it’s a 30-year old simulation of said sport. Do that with almost any sport and you’re going to struggle to want to play it again. To wit…
47. Power Golf — It’s a golf sim. As a launch title for the Turbografx-16, it had some of the worst visuals of any game on the system. So you’re dealing with golf, presented in what are essentially 8-bit graphics, and that’s pretty much it. Why not include an oddity of a game like “World Court Tennis” instead? That game had RPG elements … yes, it was like a tennis RPG, which is just bizarre enough to be interesting. There’s nothing here to recommend playing unless you’re hankering for a round of video game golf and you have no other options. Ugh.
46. The Genji and the Heike Clans — We’re firmly in the “WTF” portion of the countdown, which is a category I admire more than the “just plain bad” section we just completed. WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS? Ahem. Hey, I’m all for oddball games … that’s part of the reason anyone might purchase a TG-16 Mini to begin with. This is one of the oddest, so that’s good. It also plays like garbage and looks pretty terrible, so that’s bad. I guess I’m barely okay with it being here at the end of the day because it reminds me of playing terrible PC shareware versions of classic platformers back in the 80’s. But I’m not going to call it a good game either.
45. China Warrior — This game, featuring a Bruce Lee character model who takes up virtually an entire third of the screen, is so goddamn weird visually and so synonymous with the system that they pretty much had to include it. But beyond toying around with China Warrior for a few minutes, most gamers are going to get bored with the simple play mechanics and repetitive backgrounds/enemy sprites that keep coming and coming and coming … and coming. Truly, this is one of the most boring games you’ll ever play.
44. J.J. & Jeff — It’s semi-playable, and the character sprites are big and colorful, so it’s not complete trash. But the idea behind the game, of capturing the toilet humor of a famous Japanese comic duo, loses something in translation when you completely whitewash the whole thing. One could take offense to that act itself, but the game is plenty offensive on its own, so we’ll just move past that part. Fart jokes and boring platforming abound. Yeehaw!
43. Psychosis — This game earns the unenviable moniker of “weakest shooter on this mini-console.” I can come up with a reason to play every other shoot ’em-up on here, but I’m struggling with this one. I suppose I like the concept of “the game has taken over your television, ahhhh!” and it has some historical significance as a game that got ported over to the United States back in the day, but I’m not blown away by any of it. I’m failing at devoting any more words to it, to be honest. It’s just not the best example of what was possible on this system.
42. Bomberman: Panic Bomber — Modeled after the major successful “falling puzzle brick” format of the time, it had the Bomberman license attached to it, some CD-quality sound, and a different enough play mechanic to differentiate itself slightly from other puzzlers. It’s a game that isn’t awful by any stretch, but by the same token, it’s hyper-derivative and inspires the inevitable question of why one should play this over any number of other puzzle games of the time. Other than nostalgia (which I don’t have), I don’t have an answer.
41. Cho Aniki — Holy cow. Some people are going to LOVE getting to play this wacky shooter. This is the height of how bizarre the Japanese culture can seem for Western audiences, and it’s a game that never would have flown in the States. It’s so far out there, it’s difficult to even do it justice writing about it here. You kind of just have to play it to decide for yourself what you think of it. So why is it so low here? Well, get past the gimmicks and the strangeness of it all, and I don’t find the game to be all that fun to play. Again though, decide for yourself.
40. Spriggan Mark 2 — Upfront, let me offer this caveat: I struggled with this game because it’s all in Japanese, and the game is designed to be heavy on dialogue … almost like a shooter styled as an RPG. The concept is interesting, but I also don’t know what they were thinking in utilizing said style as the sequel to a game that worked wonderfully a completely different way (more on that game later). Despite having points in its favor, it can’t help feeling massively disappointing, especially if one plays this directly after playing the first Spriggan.
39. Snatcher — Alright, so here’s where the translation problem gets fully tested. Snatcher remains an important piece of gaming history, a point-and-click style cyberpunk adventure from the creative genius Hideo Kojima (of “Metal Gear Solid” fame). By basically any account of anyone who has played it, it’s a pretty great story and game. So it not being translated here is a giant kick to the crotch. How willing are you to learn Japanese, read a guide, and/or hold up a translation app to the screen for hours on end? Because those are the only ways to play it. I’m still weighing those options. Frustrating.
38. Space Harrier — Someone with a keener eye than I can tell you whether this game is better or worse than Space Harrier II on the Genesis Mini. I like the game as a kind of curiosity for short bursts since it’s so weird, but I haven’t gotten down the perspective challenges, which are significant. This is one of those games where you have to ask why it’s even here, except as a curiosity, since it’s a Sega title, and um … they kind of had their own systems/ports going on at the time.
37. Super Darius — I really enjoyed playing Darius on the Genesis Mini. It was a gorgeous game with great sound, and the difficulty was easier to swallow as a result. This version of the game is weaker in all three areas, so I have a difficult time justifying another time investment in what is basically the same game but less enjoyable. I endorse the other version over this, but if you’ve not played or have the capacity to play the version on the Genesis Mini, I’d recommend this. It’s still a solid game.
36. Neutopia II — The Neutopia games were blatant Legend of Zelda clones. Like, I’m surprised no one got sued. It’s THAT blatant. This game “improved” on the original game and the Legend of Zelda games by allowing diagonal attacks, but it’s not a super easy technique to pull off consistently without walking into enemies and dying. There’s also a learning curve here, as the developers assumed you played the first game. I mean, it’s probably a fine game, but I’m not itching to play it again soon (especially not before Part 1).
35. Ninja Gaiden — Ninja Gaiden was a very popular game on the NES, and not everyone knows it was ported to the PC Engine in Japan. This version is a little strange. The visuals are (mostly) better, the sound is (mostly) worse, and the game play can be a little frustrating. I think it’s pretty cool that it’s here, but I’m not sure how playable it is either (opinions vary). This whole section of my list is basically “games and sequels that you can play elsewhere and you may or may not like this particular iteration.” That’s Ninja Gaiden in a nutshell.
34. Fantasy Zone — We saw this done adequately with the Genesis Mini last fall, so I kind of question why it’s here. It’s a cute ’em-up shooter that involves flying left OR right (player’s discretion) and purchasing upgrades, so it’s different from a lot of other shooters. There’s also a bonus here: a hidden upgraded version that fixes soundtrack issues from the original game (and the turbo sliders are welcome). But I’m going to dock points for crossing the same titles over from the other mini consoles, because they didn’t need to do it and they had enough lead time to avoid doing it.
33. Galaga ’88 — We can’t click with every game. This is just reality. Stepping away from any emotional investment (or lack thereof), I can say that this is a great version of a classic game and people love it. The controls, in particular, are very tight (which is what you need for a game of this type). But it’s not for me. Galaga has always been a little too “Space Invaders” for my tastes, which just trends a little obsolete/old for me. Then again, I understand how important this game is to the genre of shooter, and since this console is basically a timeline of shooter history, I can see the value.
32. Gradius — Similar to Galaga ’88, it’s a way old-school shooter with a devoted following, so for historical purposes (and for the benefit of its fans), I understand why it’s here. I enjoy Gradius, a classic side-scrolling shoot ’em-up, more than I do Galaga, hence it’s ranked slightly higher. But one could also argue this game is more disposable since its sequel and spin-off are both here already. That’s a lot of Gradius. Yeah, it’s a Konami property, so I get why. But this is definitely my least favorite of the three games and they probably could have left it off.
31. New Adventure Island — This game is a conundrum. It’s one of the few games I ended up purchasing for my system back in the day, but I never really clicked with it emotionally … yet I became proficient at it anyway. It’s considered one of the best (if not THE best) Adventure Island games, but I personally missed many of the touches from earlier games. The music on the main stages is iconic but often grates … while the smaller, supporting pieces are much more enjoyable but end in a few seconds. I could go on. Everything ever said or written about this game should have an asterisk attached to it. I can think of no better placement for it on my list than right around the middle of these rankings.
30. Cadash — Turbografx super-fans swear up and down and all day long about this game being the bee’s knees, which allows me to concede up front that Cadash could sail up my rankings as I play more (I’m just not very far into it at all). As it is, it feels like a pretty typical platformer with mediocre visuals and nothing that truly stands out, save an ability to pick from different “classes” of warrior upfront. I don’t doubt that impacts the play experience significantly. But for now, this game sits in the middle of the rankings.
29. Neutopia — You can pretty much just cut and paste what I said about Neutopia II here. It’s still a Zelda clone. It’s still not as good as the original thing. But where I like this game more than its direct sequel is how much more accessible it is. Part 2 pretty much expects you to have played Part 1 already, which is an interesting approach, but I’m not sure if it was wise. I would recommend this game over that one because you’re not going to be expected to have done any homework prior to playing this one. And, to be perfectly clear, is more Zelda (even watered down Zelda) a bad thing? I say no.
28. Chew Man Fu — This was a positive surprise! Not a lot of people were jumping up and down with excitement over this particular inclusion when the games lineup was announced, and when you fire it up, it sure doesn’t look or sound like much. But it’s an addictive and satisfying play, as it turns out, as the puzzle game requires you to roll enormous colored balls around to their designated areas while squashing enemies with said balls. Like I said, it’s satisfying, much more so than I was expecting. Don’t write it off.
27. Ghouls ‘n Ghosts — Sigh. I think I own six versions of this game. Here’s another one! Look, at least it’s undeniably a quality game to begin with, and I can’t find fault in this arcade conversion. Indeed, many folks call this the definitive home version of the game, and I won’t argue. It’s gorgeous and it sounds great, and speaking as someone who regularly gets his ass kicked by this title, the turbo switches here are a welcome addition. I may not play it a whole lot, but I won’t complain too loudly about it being here either.
26. Valkyrie no Densetsu — As we proceed through this list, hopefully I’ll be able to convey that not all of the Japanese games are impossible to get into. Indeed, the far majority of them are enjoyable and/or even classics. “The Legend of Valkyrie” tells the tale of the Norse legend and brings it to life in a colorful, spirited way. Similar to other overhead action adventure games like Legend of Zelda or Beyond Oasis, its controls and direction are simple to understand, it all feels very familiar, and the game is better to look at than many other games from the Turbo era.
25. Alien Crush — The “Crush” series of pinball simulations on the TG-16 are very well regarded among pinball enthusiasts and non-partial gamers alike, and since this one was a launch title for the system, its historical importance probably acted as a tie-breaker in favor of its inclusion on the Mini. Also, the other game had satanic imagery and that’s probably a sort of controversy they’d just as soon avoid right now. I wish they’d gone the other route to be honest, as Devil’s Crush just looks like a better, more advanced game to me, but evaluating this game in a vacuum, it’s still quite good as a stand-alone.
24. Parasol Stars — I’m a fan of Bubble Bobble, so a bigger, brighter, more colorful version of that game is naturally a game I’ll be fond of as well. Here the goal is to destroy musical instruments with an umbrella to collect fruit. Yeah, it’s weird. This format of game — a single screen of enemies you must clear to advance to the next screen — is absolutely a dated concept and was the instant Super Mario Bros debuted, BUT if it’s done well, it can remain fun and entertaining. Here it’s done well.
23. Dragon Spirit — There are some devotees to this game who would scream bloody murder to Dragon Spirit being this low, but then again, one could say that about all of the games in this general range. For the uninitiated, this is another shoot ’em-up, but the oddity here is that you take control of a dragon to blow crap up. As is usually the case with a shooter, it’s farkin’ difficult, and while some will appreciate the curve ball in theme here (dragons!), I’m a little more so-so on it.
22. Dungeon Explorer — There’s a certain timelessness to playing Dungeons and Dragons co-splay and cratering demons’ skulls in with a broadsword. So the truest, most pertinent question of a game that utilizes these tropes is this: how well does it nail the overall presentation? In this case, the developers went for an overhead perspective (meh), a more action-y dynamic instead of an RPG one (good call), and a full embrace of anarchy by including the ability to have five people play at the same time (the best decision they could have made). I can’t fully evaluate it without participating in said 5-player anarchy, but I can definitely see the potential.
21. Military Madness — Military strategy games can be a little convoluted and/or difficult to pick up and play, so it’s genuinely refreshing to encounter one that has virtually no learning curve at all. The play mechanics here are obvious and easy to learn, the initial battles are likewise easy to blast through, and so this game becomes almost immediately addictive. I’ve seen and played better looking sims, but I could see myself wasting away days on a game like this. It has a loud, devoted fan base, but this is still a hidden gem of the system.
20. Bomberman ’93 — A lot of people have a lot of fondness for this game, especially in this country where ’94 was never released. I am not one of those people since I never played this until a few days ago, BUT I am very quickly becoming a Bomberman addict. I’m still thinking Bomberman ’94 is a better, deeper game. All that said, it’s Bomberman. It’s a good game, it’s a fun game … I just prefer some of the other games here more.
19. Splatterhouse — Splatterhouse is a bloody gore-fest of a platformer, embracing horror elements before it was popular or cool. Or maybe it was? But this was certainly one of the earlier examples of such a thing making it to store shelves, regardless. As a result, it gained a cult following and a near revolt when it didn’t make the cut for the early announced games for the retro re-release. Thankfully, it eventually made it on there, because though it is a bit slow and stiff, it undeniably has a fabulous sense of style and fun and is a game synonymous with the system.
18. Super Star Soldier — This game commences a run of EIGHT straight really great shoot ’em-ups, so when people say about this system that you might consider giving it a pass if you don’t enjoy that particular genre, well, they might be on to something. Differentiating them in terms of picking favorites is a difficult chore. In this case, Super Star Soldier — a part of the same series that gave us the incredible Soldier Blade and the amazing spin-off Star Parodier — brings up the rear partly due to its extreme difficulty and the way that manifests itself re: re-spawn points. It’s annoying to have to begin the whole level over again. (But this is still a damn good game.)
17. R-Type — At the risk of telling on myself, I have trouble ranking a game this nut-kickingly difficult any higher than this. It was one of the few shooters to get my tacit approval back in the day (and by that, I mean it gained a purchase), so I have a fondness and nostalgia for it, and it’s undeniably a technical marvel, a near perfect port of a visually stunning arcade game. But whoa baby, about that difficulty. You’ll be ready to throw things 15 minutes in. It’s a classic, and it’s quite good, but you’ll also be pulling out your hair. Fair warning.
16. Gradius II — Well, it’s a difficult game, so if I’m honest, it’s probably down here with Super Star Soldier and R-Type because of that. But the list of merits is a long one. This sequel improves on the original in nearly every way, and that first level’s dramatic visuals offer you a hint of that right off the bat. This isn’t your father’s Gradius (so to speak). It’s also really cool that it’s here, since it’s never been a game American audiences have traditionally gotten to experience.
15. Blazing Lazers — The title is apt, as this game goes a million miles an hour and features an obscene level of power-ups. And it was a launch title for the Turbo! It’s as if someone said, “Okay, we’re throwing down the gauntlet right here and now with a kind of shooter no one has ever seen before and light people’s hair on fire, and if they go for it, we’ll hit them with another 350 or so of these.” This was the granddaddy that started it all, so of course it deserves high placement on this list. (And historical achievement aside, it remains just plain good.)
14. Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire — For TurboGrafx-16 collectors, this game has been their unicorn for a number of years. It’s NOTORIOUSLY difficult to find, afford, or even have the necessary hardware in place to play. So for it to appear here is a very big deal. But is the game itself good? Fortunately, yes. Featuring cool cutscenes, voice work, and even captured video, it’s obviously got the polish of a CD game, and the visuals are strong enough that one could pass this game off for an early Playstation title. The difficulty is no joke either, so despite the cutesy Japanese anime appearances, it’s still got it where it counts. What a treat!
13. Salamander — Also known by the moniker of “Life Force” to American gamers, Salamander is a spin-off of the Gradius series, featuring very similar play mechanics, power-ups and enemies. What differentiates this game are an odd mechanic of switching between side-scrolling and vertically-scrolling play, resulting in a somewhat disorienting experience … as well as a general uptick in quality. This can be a gorgeous game at times. As an added bonus, Salamander includes two hidden bonus games (Force Gear and TwinBee) as well as an upgraded “arcade” mode. Given all of the perks here, it probably deserves to be even higher. I just couldn’t find space for it.
12. Seirei Senshi Spriggan — Featuring big sprites, some fairly distinctive tunes, and an intense onslaught of enemies and power-ups, this is absolutely one of the more impressive titles on the system. Its sequel is difficult to pick up and play for Western audiences, but not this bad boy. The learning curve here is basically just “we’re throwing a gazillion gigantic flaming objects at you in quick succession … figure out how not to die.” Sink or swim. It’s that simple. And that simplicity (and those gorgeous visuals) are what will keep bringing me back.
11. Aldynes — It really starts out in an unassuming (and frankly unimpressive) way, but it grew on me quickly. This game originally was an exclusive to the SuperGrafx system, meaning it had better graphical and musical touches than many other games of its era (and furthermore meaning a whole LOT of people have never played it). As with most shooters, my enjoyment boils down to the overall package of game play, weaponry, visuals, music, and difficulty. Similar to the Thunder Force series on the Genesis, this game just does everything well.
10. Bomberman ’94 — I don’t know how anyone could argue that this wasn’t the peak of the Bomberman series on the TG16, and thanks partly to a lack of nostalgia for ’93, it’s gotten me under its spell as well. I LOVE the added dynamics from riding friendly critters around, and the game is brighter and more colorful. There’s also more polish in general (especially in the story mode), higher quality music, and it does a good job of leaning into what makes Bomberman Bomberman. This is my easy pick for the Turbografx Bomberman game everyone should experience.
9. Bonk’s Adventure — I love this game. This general range of games is essentially “this game is a classic that I really like,” so anything that gets listed from here on out is well and truly excellent. That disclaimer out of the way, this was one of the TurboGrafx-16’s gateway drugs, the kind of “system-seller” that could push units and spark imaginations, and for those factors alone I’ll always be fond of it. It was also unique in the over-crowded realm of platformers, focusing on a little caveman who hits things with his head. Hey, it’s not rocket science, but it’s fun.
8. Lords of Thunder — This game is metal AF. They really didn’t hold back anything at all. Like, remember what I wrote about Blazing Lazers about how intense shooters were on this system and how that was the beginning? This is the natural end point to that timeline. You can see a kind of bizarre “history of shooters” on this mini-system that’s fascinating to behold, from arcade classics like Gradius and Galaga, to the beginning of a new era with Blazing Lazers, to the awesome Soldier series, to the cute ’em-ups, all the way to THIS. The visuals are bizarre and wacky. The gameplay is hyper-intense. And the soundtrack is basically the lead guitarist from your favorite hair rock band just shredding for a couple of hours. It’s probably not the peak of the genre, but it’s well worth experiencing for the excess alone.
(Note: Some have complained about the emulation of this particular title. I didn’t play it on original hardware, so I still find it completely playable.)
7. Ninja Spirit — On my first go-around with the Turbo in the early 90’s, I wrote Ninja Spirit off as a Ninja Gaiden clone and moved on to other pursuits. This was a colossal error in judgement. The controls and power-ups in this game are immensely satisfying, and the polish ain’t bad either. It’s just a really darn good game, and I think this game might actually be better than Ninja Gaiden (and probably the Shinobi series as well), which is no small statement at all.
6. Ys Book I & II — Role-playing games are always going to be at a disadvantage on a list like this, because they start slow, and unless I have 20-plus hours to give a game in a short time frame (hint: I don’t), it will get an unfair/incomplete evaluation. All of that having been said, the cream of the crop will still typically stand out quickly, and that’s the case with Ys. The initial story beats are familiar, but still engaging, the music and presentation are top-notch, and the battle system is weird enough to stand out. I wouldn’t be surprised if this eventually broke into my top five. As of now, it’s already solidly in my top 10.
5. Soldier Blade — It’s been argued by many that this is the peak of the shoot ’em-up genre, and I’m not here to argue that point. Among traditional shooters, this is my favorite on the system and might be my favorite of all time. For me personally, it’s only exceeded by the games with more story and charm that fall into their own sub-genre of “cute ’em-up,” but even that is by the narrowest of margins. This sucker has great music, good weapons, and plenty of bells and whistles, but it’s the game play that is the star … it’s so tight it’s essentially perfect. File Soldier Blade under the “must play” category.
4. Star Parodier — This one falls into that “hard to explain” category of TG-16 games, which is honestly always a good thing. (You need some weirdness and crazy to make things truly interesting.) The basic concept here is a “cute ’em-up” wherein an anthropomorphic PC-Engine, a gigantic Bomberman and a more garden-variety space ship are trying to save the universe (and doing it as cutely as possible). It plays a lot like the Super Star Soldier series, but like David S. Pumpkins, it’s its own thing. And it’s brilliant.
3. Bonk’s Revenge — This is an upset of sorts, as I had long maintained a first-love type of crush on the original Bonk game, always favoring it over its sequel (a game most others enjoyed more). I’ve finally come around on this one as the visuals and soundtrack are better, while the bonus structure is miles better. I mean, it’s Bonk, but it feels fresher and livelier, and thusly I must now concede this game’s superiority. Bonk himself deserves a wider audience, and this is as good as Bonk gets.
2. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood — It’s not quite as pretty or as visually interesting as the other 16-bit linear Castlevania adventures, but it makes up for that with fun cut scenes, spirited gameplay, incredible level design, rewarding hidden features, and a soundtrack that slaps so completely, every other Castlevania soundtrack is a struggle-bus by comparison (and to be clear, Castlevania soundtracks are genuinely GREAT … this one is otherworldly). It’s a must-play for any fan of the series and probably a must-play for everyone else too.
1. Air Zonk — If there’s just one game you should play from this lineup … well, it’s hard not to say that you should play Rondo of Blood. Indeed, that game is borderline Castlevania perfection and lives up to any and all hype. But I just can’t shake my love for Air Zonk, so here it remains, atop my list. The graphics and music and overall style are lovely, it’s an accessible game for newbies, and it plays off of the system’s biggest mascot. There’s seriously nothing to complain about here. Also, if I’m being honest here, isn’t it kind of appropriate that a shooter tops the list for such a shooter-intensive console? I think so. It’s poetic. Get your shoot ’em-up on!
Related:
Genesis Mini: Ranking all the games
60 Video games I’d recommend to anyone