This Week in Defunct Games - December 18, 2008

What Is It? When the Sega Master System was launched in the mid-1980s one of the debut titles was Hang-On, the exciting port of one of the best arcade racers (of the time). Fans embraced the game's fast-paced action and solid controls; it was a perfect example of the type of experience we wanted from our 3D racing games. Enduro Racer ignores everything we learned in Hang-On and creates a racing game that is mildly entertaining, but not as good as what has come before it. Enduro Racer is a lot like a cross between Hang-On and the NES classic, Excitebike. Instead of being 3D (or even 2D), the game uses a strange isometric angle that can be a little confusing, but ultimately manageable. Despite the different camera angle, you control Enduro Racer exactly as you would Hang-On or any other faux-3D game of that era. You can't really move in or out of the screen, but you can dodge things left and right, which is something ... I guess. The good news is that Enduro Racer is not the worst game on the Sega Master System, but that doesn't mean you should spend even a dollar on this turd!

Does It Still Hold Up? Don't be confused by the game's weird angle, when it comes right down to it this is basically just a rip-off of Excitebike. The problem is, this game is nowhere near as exciting as Excitebike. The controls are sluggish, the obstacles are hard to dodge and the camera angle makes everything as painful as possible. I'm sure there are people out there that can find some fun in this Master System racer, but I would say that it definitely does not hold up.

Is It Worth The Money? This is one of those Sega Master System games I bought at a used game store for around a buck, and even then I felt a little ripped off. At five dollars it's hard to justify buying this game, especially with so many other (better) racing games on the Virtual Console. This was an interesting experiment on the Master System, but twenty years later there's no need to further that experiment.

What Is It? Metal Slug 2 is more than the sequel to SNK's top ranked Contra-like series. It's more than just another game where you go around shooting every bad guy that gets in the way. It's the game that actually elevates the franchise to a whole new level, giving us cool new weapons, vehicles and some of the most memorable levels of all of the Metal Slug games. And best of all, it's just in time for SNK Playmore's release of Metal Slug 7 on the Nintendo DS. This 2D shooter is a bit antiquated by today's standards, but that shouldn't keep you from having a great time running through the levels either with a friend or by yourself. What sets this series apart from all of the other 2D shooters is its attention to small details, especially when it comes to character animations. The game is funny, which is not something you can say about more games in the genre. It's not without a few problems, but Metal Slug 2 is definitely a lot of fun.

Does It Still Hold Up? I know I bring this up every time I review a Metal Slug game, but why the heck can't I shoot diagonally? This is one of those things that should have been rectified in the second game, yet a half dozen games later and we're still dealing with this problem. Outside of that, the game exists entirely because of the amazing animation and crazy enemies you have to kill. It feels a bit dated, but there's no doubt that the bulk of Metal Slug 2 still holds up well.

Is It Worth The Money? While I'm giving this game a caution, the truth is that you probably shouldn't buy Metal Slug 2. It's not that it's a bad game, because it's not. It's not that you shouldn't experience this game at least once in your life. It's that you could buy the entire Metal Slug Anthology on the Nintendo Wii for a mere $30. Heck, at this point you can probably find it for under $20! That's seven different games for a few dollars more. If you wanted to buy all of the Neo Geo Metal Slug games you would be paying close to $60, but for $20 - $30 you can get a near complete collection and never have to worry about how much hard drive space you have left. That's definitely the way to go. If you simply must buy these games on the Virtual Console so be it, but I would personally wait until they upload Metal Slug 3.

What Is It? At first glance you might think that this is a Sonic the Hedgehog game you have never played. After all, this is a Sega Master System game that never actually made it to these shores. It was released in Europe and Brazil, but never in the United States. But hold on just one moment ... because this Sonic the Hedgehog outing actually was released in the U.S., just not on the Sega Master System. Confused? Don't be, because this 8-bit platformer was released on the Sega Game Gear, and then later on various Sonic the Hedgehog collections on the Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2. But just because the game has had a storied history, that doesn't mean you shouldn't check out what is actually a really fun Sonic game. Genesis fans going in expecting a game of the same quality as the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2 should probably look elsewhere, because this 8-bit game can't quite hit the same heights as its bigger brother. But what it can do is offer a fun little adventure that, for a mere five dollars, is just enough Sonic to make you completely forget about how terrible the last ten years have been to Sega's blue mascot.

Does It Still Hold Up? There's something about the 2D Sonic games that will always hold up, even when they are a slightly floaty 8-bit variation. This Sonic sequel isn't just a dumbed down port of a 16-bit game, it's a fully-fledged adventure that is just as much fun as the bigger console games. Portable, on your TV, no matter where you play it Sonic the Hedgehog 2 holds up remarkably well.

Is It Worth The Money? It's not just the fact that I'm a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, though I'm sure I'm guilty of that. The reason you should buy this is because it's a cheap way to remind yourself how good this franchise used to be. This 8-bit game isn't nearly as fast or ambitious as its 16-bit counterpart, but at $5 you'll hardly care. Better still, this is a Sonic game you've probably never played before, which makes it all the more worthwhile. There are a few control problems and the game is kind of floaty, but that shouldn't keep you from having a great time playing through Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Master System!

Still not satisfied with what you're getting on the Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade? Then maybe you should head on over to GameTap! With more than 100 free games currently available, GameTap is one of the best places to play classic games! And every week they are adding brand new titles to the service, including old school games for the Genesis, Neo Geo, Commodore 64 and much, much more. Won't you join us as we take a look at what's going on this week over at GameTap!

In the time I was gone I managed to miss talking about several different episodes of American McGee's Grimm. And from the email I received today, this week's episode is the final episode of the season. That's right, the final episode! That means I can stop talking about this series for at least a few months (hopefully longer). For those that care, this week's final episode is a Christmas-themed adventure called A Christmas Carol. And best of all, you can play the game for free from now until the very end of 2008. In case you aren't keeping track, that's two weeks! So what are you waiting for? If you haven't had a chance to check out this series then maybe this will be the game that turns you into a fan.

Moving on, this week we also have a few free games to talk about. That's right, I said free! And I'm not just talking about free to paying members, I'm talking about free games that you can play for free right now. Like what? Well, for one week only you can check out The King of Fighters 2003! Oh, and you can still play the original Fallout for free no matter who you are. While The King of Fighters 2003 is far from my favorite SNK fighting game, it's great to see GameTap add another classic game to their line-up ... even if I have a hard time calling a game from 2003 "classic".

Paying subscribers aren't left out in the cold this week, either. Gold level subscribers will be able to check out Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War: Gold. I know a lot of people who love the Warhammer franchise, so if you're a paying subscriber maybe you should check out this four year old real-time strategy game. Or don't, see if I care. I'm just glad to be back telling you all about GameTap's offerings.