Renovation on Sega Genesis
“The scarcity effect is the psychological phenomenon that says when you see something that is rare, desirable, or expensive, your subconscious mind makes you think about having it more than if you saw something that was abundant. This happens because we tend to associate value with rarity.”
In other words, we want what we can’t have. And in the early 90s I desperately wanted the Sega Genesis games published by Renovation.
Every issue of EGM would feature at least a couple of ads spruiking the publisher’s latest titles. Valis, Arcus Odyssey, Exile and Whip Rush to name a few.
There was just one problem. None of these titles were available in PAL territories. Which meant they weren’t available in Australia. Which meant I couldn’t play them.
That combination of evocative ads and unavailability gave the titles a unique desirability. In my mind these were Japanese developed blockbusters featuring the finest in anime cut-scenes and high-octane excitement.
That’s a view I’ve held for the last 30 years or so. So when the new Super Pocket from Blaze Electronics provided a cheap and easy way to access the Renovation games library via the Evercade compilation cartridge I was all-in. Finally, a chance to experience these amazing games from my childhood.
So how do these old 16bit titles compare to my teenage fever dreams - let’s have a look at the collection, (from worst to best)…
Beast Wrestler. I remember this one getting a bad review in Sega Pro back in the day, so I went in highly suspicious. But even that apprehension couldn’t prepare me for the broken, ruinous, shambolic travesty that is Beast Wrestler. As the name suggests, it’s a wrestling game featuring various monsters. Sure, why not…. But at no point did I find anything resembling actual gameplay. It’s just badly drawn sprites twitching around until you pull the plug and contemplate your life choices. I lasted 10 minutes. 2/10
Sol-Deace. Yuck. Hot garbage. I have the Mega CD version somewhere but have never played it. Turns out I haven’t been missing out on much. Your ship is huge, the play area is narrow, and within seconds of starting the first level the game is throwing a bunch of junk your way, making the entire thing an exercise in frustration and futility. Probably the worst shooter I’ve played for the system. 3/10
Traysia. The online reviews aren’t kind. Traysia is a long forgotten JRPG that looks horrible, has massive plot holes, and a broken gameplay mechanic that allows you to waltz through without taking any damage. I’ll have to take the internet’s word as I peaced out after 15 minutes. 4/10
Arcus Odyssey. An isometric 3D action game that leans heavily into old Greek (?) methodology for its aesthetic. Which is fine. But your sword is really short and the gameplay consists of little more than wandering around tight corridors desperately hammering away at the action button to take down enemies until you fall asleep of tedium. 5/10
Exile. I mostly bought this compilation to finally play this long forgotten RPG that casts you as some kind of desert assassin (Hashashin?). The problem here is the Super Pocket’s screen is quite small, and the font used for all the games (lengthy) text is… I dunno… weird. And not easy to read. Which meant I was squinting like a particularly squinty man until I got a headache and had to turn it off. 5/10
Dino Land. I appreciate a good pinball game and always liked the packaging for this one, a sort of cutesy anime Japanese take on Dinosaur pinball. Cool. Unfortunately, the ball physics are a bit rubbish and the animation is jerky. Not cool. Still, I played it for a bit and the experience wasn’t horrible. 6/10
Final Zone. Another 3D isometric shooter. This one feels a bit like a reskinned Arcus Odyssey - replace Ancient Greece with Mechs. So yeah, it’s fine. But not something I’m going to spend more than 15 minutes on. 6/10
Granada. The third (and final) 3D isometric shooter in the batch. Also the best one. While the basic formula is the same as Final Zone - destroy the enemy generators in the corner of the map for the boss to appear - the controls are tight and responsive, the levels have more variety, and simplicity keeps things tight and focused. 6/10
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier. Great anime cut-scenes. The actual gameplay is a bit slow, a bit boring, and a bit nondescript; run left-to-right slicing up enemies with your sword. The fact that you're a Japanese schoolgirl adds some novelty. But this is decidedly average. 6/10
El Viento. This one tends to divide opinions, and I can totally see why. The gameplay is your typical 2D action scroller (think Shinobi), bolstered by fluid movement and a cool anime inspired lead character. But the graphics are hideous. Why so much brown? Why the nondescript backdrops? So yeah, a mixed bag. 7/10
Gaiares. This is more like it. Gaiares is a legendary shooter from the 16 bit era and holds up well. The main shtick is you can shoot a pod that absorbs the enemies abilities, which allows you to change your firepower on the, ah, fly. Anyway, it’s good. Would recommend. 7/10
Valis 3. The highlight of the lot. I think I rented this one as a kid, as it feels very familiar. And while it’s your typical side scrolling action / platformer / slash-em-up, the graphics, gameplay and general aesthetic are a step up from most 1993 releases. 8/10
Overall score: 5/10
