Let's get the comparison we need to make: No, the Genesis Flashback is not as amazing as the SNES Classic. But it's still pretty good, if you like games.
While Nintendo sets the world on fire with its nostalgic 90s journey, let's say your 16-bit desires are more unconventional. Maybe you like your games with a little more violence and / or hedgehogs. AtGames has you covered with the Sega Genesis Flashback HD, a $ 79.99 all-in-one console to be released on November 10th. In addition to being full of classic games, this Genesis does what Nintendo allows you to use your original Genesis cartridges and controllers. This feature is flawed, but it's an interesting addition when it works.
You may have heard something not so good about the Genesis Flashback. AtGames sent review samples in July to various outlets, including Kotaku . While we were covering our cover, a series of negative critics hit Gizmodo who called it "a hot trash", for example, citing flawed controllers and offbeat gameplay. AtGames recalled the review units, saying that they had been mistakenly released with the unfinished firmware early.
Several weeks later, we received an updated version, on which this review is based. Although not all Flashback HD issues have been resolved, the main issues have been resolved. The controllers work, and the emulation is no longer jerky. This means the system now fulfills its basic promise of allowing you to play accurate Genesis games on your HDTV. Hooray!
The material
The Sega Genesis Flashback HD is smaller than a real Genesis, but it's also bigger than two SNES Classics combined. This is understandable, however, because of the location of the cartridge running, which limits the size of this thing while maintaining the classic proportions of Genesis. It has an AC adapter (not USB) and an HDMI output.
The unit includes two wireless controllers that each require two AAA batteries (not included). The design of these is based, if not entirely 1: 1, on the six-button Genesis controller that Sega deployed at about the same time as Street Fighter II . They feel a little light and hollow, but they work well. A switch at the top of each controller allows you to control them to control drive 1 or drive 2.
The Flashback has a Rewind function, though it is not as elegant as that of the SNES Classic; it just goes back six seconds back into the game and plays it back automatically until you decide to jump. This is done by pressing a dedicated rewind button on the wireless controller. The controllers also have a Menu button that allows you to display a menu overlay during the game, from which you can save and load your game in one of the ten save slots per game, as well as Turn on and turn off a rudimentary filter. "This will also allow you to leave the game and return to the main menu of the system without getting up from the couch, which is missing from the SNES Classic.
If you want more authenticity, the Flashback supports classic Genesis controllers via physical ports on its front. This, too, worked well for me, although I only finished testing some standard Genesis controllers and not third party stuff. Of course, conventional Genesis controllers do not have a Rewind button, but by holding the left button on the D-pad and pressing Start, the Rewind feature is turned on. It's convenient but it worries me that I can accidentally support it.
The system menu is where things start to become risky. See the menu screen? Would you imagine that, to start navigating this menu from "Cartridge Slot" to "Favorites" and "Recent", you press Up and Down on the D-pad? Idiot. What you have to do is press the B and C keys on the controller. The rest of the menu functions are also unintuitive, and you will probably have to press the wrong button several times even after several days of playback. (Do not accidentally press the D-pad when you have opened the submenu, otherwise you will immediately be taken offside!)
Flashback allows you to play Genesis games with your original cartridges. When you place a game in the slot and turn on the system, it will download the complete game into memory and play it in the same emulator as the built-in games, with all the same features, even when backing up the slot machines. But the compatibility is uneven. I have tested it with a wide variety of games, such as:
- An American copy of Growl a Taito shooter
- An American copy of the game of a third Bubsy
- A European copy of The Lion King
- A Japanese copy of Battletoads
Joshua an unlicensed Bible game- Various Taiwanese multiplayer bootleg cartridges
Pier Solar an unlicensed RPG released in 2010
In general, I discovered that unlicensed games did not work at all. Most of them have simply never been "thrown" into memory when the system is turned on, and the "Cartridge" option has remained dimmed in the menu. Pier Solardumped, but it crashed when I tried to run it.
On the other hand, games from all territories seemed to work properly as long as they were officially licensed Sega products. The Lion King, Battletoads and Bubsy all worked, regardless of the territory in which they were originally released. The only licensed game that gave me significant problems was Dashin's Desperadoes which is a split-screen multiplayer game. The game went well until the split screen mode started, when everything was broken. This makes me think that the Flashback emulator does not know how to handle this graphics mode.
Would I buy a Flashback HD to replace a standard Genesis? Absolutely not. Compatibility is way too low But if you only have a couple of licensed Sega games, you might find this extra feature a good bonus.
The software
The box for the Sega Genesis Flashback HD says that it contains 85 games. This sounds impressive and is legally true. But it does not contain 85 Sega Genesis games. It contains 45 Sega Genesis games, 14 Sega Master System games, 7 Game Gear games, and 19 pieces of random film like Ladies and Air Hockey that you should never play.
So, really, it contains 66 games made by Sega. This is more than three times the games on SNES Classic, but where Nintendo has selected a very good balance of the best games that the system had to offer and also Super Ghouls' Ghosts AtGames's choice of Genesis software will be telling, scattered.
Here are the real games Sega:
Genesis: Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Extraterrestrial Storm, Altered Beast, Lightning Arrow, Bonanza Brothers, Chakan: The Man Forever, Columns, Columns III, Comix Zone , Crack Down, Decap Attack, Dr. Robotnik 's Medium Bean Machine, ESWAT, Eternal Champions, Deadly Labyrinth, Flicky, Ground Gain, Gold Ax, Gold Axis II, Axis of. Gold III, Master of Jewelry, Children's Chameleon, Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat III, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star IV, Ristar, Shadow Dancer, Shining in Darkness, Brilliant Force, Shining Force II, Shinobi III, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Spinball, 3D Sonic Explosion, Super Thunder Blade, Vermilion Sword, The Limon, Vector Vector, Vectorman 2, Virtua Fighter 2.
Master System: Alex Kidd in the World of Miracles, Alex Kidd: World of High Technology, Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars, City of Assault, Astro Warrior, Dragon Crystal, Fantasy Zone, Fantasy Zone: Labyrinth, Kenseiden, Kung Fu Kid, Phantasy Star, Psychic Fox, Snail Labyrinth, The Ninja.
Game Material: Baku Baku, Defenders of the Oasis, Sonic Chaos, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic Triple Trouble, Super Columns, Tails Adventures.
It's a party or a famine with this list of games. If a certain frankness is represented, they go to the end. If you are a fan of a certain Mr. Sonic T. Hedgehog, you will be very happy. Ditto if you want to dive deep into a Sega RPG series like Shining Force and Phantasy Star or if you are one of the last diehard fans of Alex Kidd .
But otherwise, it's a pile of filler. I could have spent all my life without playing Crack Down, Psycho Fox, Vermilion Sword or any other level B game on this system. And the Genesis versions of Mortal Kombat were not exactly the pinnacle of arcade quality perfection, even though the first had the "blood code".
This is not a selection of the best that Genesis has to offer. Gunstar Heroes? The whole series Streets of Rage ? Castlevania: Bloodlines? MUSHA? Splatterhouse? I literally look at the list of games already published on the virtual console. Maybe AtGames is limited in what he's allowed to put on the system, but Sega should be at least a little embarrassed by that. It would be great to see both companies come together and produce something that actually reflects the best games on the platform.
The Sega Genesis Flashback HD has an irritating menu system and a selection of risky games. But he plays the games that he has exactly and agreeably, which represents a big step forward for AtGames. Its previous Genesis hardware used much cheaper solutions, which made the graphics and especially the notoriously terrible sound. It is not these products, fortunately. (These products are still on store shelves, so do not accidentally buy this if you are looking for this!)
I imagine that many Genesis fans will be disappointed that their favorites are not here, but if you are a big Sonic, Phantasy Star or Golden Ax fan seeking to find this magic, it could do the work for you.
[ad_2]
Source link