Title: Mega Turrican Platform: Sega Genesis Genre: Run 'n Gun Shooter Publisher: Data East Developer: Factor 5 Difficulty: Moderate No, of Players: 1 Released: 1994
Run 'n gun shooters are one of my favorite types of games. The overwhelming odds, awesome weaponry, humongous explosions; I love it all. Nothing is better for getting rid of a day's stress or for those times when you just feel like killing thousands of nameless minions. While the genre seems to have taken a slight dip in popularity nowadays, there was a time when it was among gaming's elite thanks to franchises such as Contra and Ikari Warriors. For many years though, Genesis owners had only Midnight Resistance to satisfy their cravings. In time, as companies got to know the hardware better, a slew of shooters arrived, giving the system some of its best games.
Mega Turrican ranks among the best in its class on the Genesis. That's saying something, as it shares the same stage as classics such as Contra Hard Corps and the eternal Gunstar Heroes. Combining a well balanced mixture of fierce RnG action, exploration, and decent platforming elements, MT is a shooter fan's delight.
Not Just a Sequel, a MEGA Sequel
The original Turrican was released for the Amiga, and was successful enough to warrant two more games for that platform. Eventually games in the series were released for over ten systems, including the NES, SNES, Game Boy, C64, and the PC-Engine. Factor 5, of Rogue Squadron fame, handled both games for the SNES, as well as the Genesis version.
At first glance, both the SNES and Genesis games seem identical. This is not the case. Some common elements and stages are shared but either title can stand on its own as a separate game in the series. I've always wanted to try Super Turrican 2 but never had luck finding a copy. After spending a night with the Genesis rev, my interest in getting one has risen sharply.
Playing as Bren McGuire, leader of the United Planets Freedom Force, you must stop the evil Machine from trying to take over the galaxy again (it was defeated once by Bren). A word to the wise when playing shooters: do not expect a deep storyline. Whether you play the last remaining ship of a dying planet, or a super hero armed with more weapons than North Korea, the emphasis in these games is definitely not placed on the plot. An enemy has appeared and you need to kill it. That's all you need to know.
Armed with the powerful Turrican assault suit, Bren heads out to defeat the Machine once and for all through fifteen levels of intense action. The suit itself is pretty nifty, and can use a myriad of weapon upgrades that can be found in containers scattered in each stage. Multi shots, huge lasers, and a rebound shot that bounces off walls are some of the icons that rise out once you release them. Hearts, 1ups, and a limited shield are also to be had. Placed all over each stage are diamonds that you can collect to add to your score. They really don't do much more than that so you may not have a problem controlling your greedy tendencies.
The assault suit also comes equipped with a plasma rope that lets Bren reach high ledges and hidden areas. It can be aimed by holding A and moving the D pad. There are stages where you can only progress via the rope so you'll need to get a handle on using it quickly. Additionally, holding the D pad down and pressing C activates the energy wheel; a ball-like attack where Bren can lay mines and roll into small openings. The wheel is only available for a limited time in each level, and the amount of time left is indicated by a bar underneath Bren's energy. Pressing A while kneeling will unleash the smart bomb, which is Bren's last line of defense and can only be used three times per stage.
Taking the Fight to the Enemy
Mega Turrican can't match the sheer amount of color and detail found in the SNES games but it still looks great. The Genesis does a good job with the levels that are found in Super Turrican, such as the alien lair and city skyline. At least some parallax (the elevator stage comes to mind) or warping effect is used in each area, and some even have scaling. The variation and style of each stage is good and keeps the game from becoming visually repetitive. Bren is trying to save an entire world here, and he pretty much covers every type of surface a planetary body has to offer in the process.
The Machine spares no expense in trying to eliminate you and throws everything but the kitchen sink your way (I may have even seen that in level three). All sorts of creatures and creations have it in for Bren, ranging from crazed machines to even Alien rip-offs; face-huggers and all! The utter coolness of the alien stage will make you forgive the apparent property theft, and you'll be so busy hunting for that 1up you saw but couldn't reach that you won't have time to consider calling 20th Century Fox.
Aside from your normal baddies, each stage is home to at least three or four mini bosses, many of which have multiple forms and are multi-jointed. Ahh, nothing says "I love you" like a multi-jointed boss! They're not particularly hard, but are usually placed where you think you'd be safe. There's no rest for the heavily armed here.
In Space, No One can Hear the Soundtrack
The music in Mega Turrican is quite good for what it is. Well composed and clear, it fits the game and captures the dark ambiance of each level. That doesn't mean it's the best music for this type of game though. Catchy melodies and rhythms are nice but I prefer hard riffs and deep bass in an action game to help keep me going. The soundtrack was one of the things I liked most about Midnight Resistance and MT's tunes just seem to pale a bit next to that game.
The sounds of war are also somewhat mediocre, as nothing really stands out. I was most disappointed by the explosions. I couldn't help but think "man, if only they sounded as good as they look." The weapons are no audio picnic either. It was very underwhelming to see Bren fire this huge laser that made almost no sound. Big guns should make noise, darn it! To top it off, voice is almost non-existent, used only when you obtain a powerup and for a garbled "emergency" message before each boss.
Up to Snuff?
I've always enjoyed the Turrican games, even the first (which my friends said was too hard). Mega Turrican ups the ante and delivers fast paced action that will surely please any shooter fan. Games like this are a dying breed today, which is a shame, as blowing things up with big guns never gets old. If you have a Genesis (I refuse to believe anyone out there doesn't!) get yourself a copy and have some mindless, senseless fun for a while.
I have always been a Turrican fan and I think Mega is the best one.
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Originally Posted by skelly
I much prefer Mega, which is less Euro-feeling and actually worth playing.
I can see Turrican 1 as being "Euro-feeling" as it feels more "Amiga-ish" than "console-ish" but not Super. Both Super and Mega were more arcade-like than the original.
Don't like Super Turrican. At all. I think I like this one, from what I played. The C64 versions of Turrican 1 or 2 are the ones I still care about the most though.
I don't know what's wrong with being Euro-feeling if the game is good. I've played many a shit Jap-feeling game.
Thanks guys. I'm writing so darn many Genesis reviews because I want to start a site devoted just to that system. I figured it'd be a good way to get some writing legs.
Playing this game has really made me want to get the others for SNES, as well as the first one on Genesis. MT is a really good RnG game that doesn't get the kudos it deserves.
there was a complete amiga system with the turrican games and a whole bunch of other stuff all complete up at SegaXtreme for like $25 a while ago. still dont know why i never bought it.
I hope most people in Gaming Discussion check out Reader Reviews because thanks to Melf's retro-reviews, it's one of the best parts of TNL.
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Originally Posted by Melf
I'm writing so darn many Genesis reviews because I want to start a site devoted just to that system.
I was wondering why the Genesis was getting so many more reviews than other systems considering I know you're a big fan of other machines like the Master System. So is your Genesis site going to be completely focused on reviews or will it have other stuff?
I'm going to cover Genesis, Sega CD, and 32X. It'll start out small, with some reviews, screen shots, codes and cheats, and whatever news is released Genesis related. The university I work at is sending me on a 3 day trip to take intensive workshops on Front Page, Excel, and some design stuff (they gave me a new Dell laptop!), so I was hoping to start something up. There really aren't too many Genny sites left. The Genesis Project disappeared and the Collective hasn't been updated in over a year.
It's nice that your covering that for now. We should have a 2nd big reviewer up to the task, but that would review great NES, SNES games. I'd love to do that but I fear my English is pretty iffy right now.
__________________ Finish | Things | Finished Games this Year: 77
Melf, have you got regular Turrican on MegaDrive/Genesis? It's more of an adventure but the way enemies pounce on you without warning is incredibly annoying. Plus you gun is always too narrow and weak to hit them so it's more about avoiding than shooting. The beam is better but it takes a vital second to charge.
I still have a few things to do but I hope to launch with around 40 reviews, 3 or 4 features, and complete master lists for the Genesis, 32X, and Sega CD. It's a simple little site, but kind of a labor of love for me. As I get to know more HTML and become more at ease with Dreamweaver, it'll start to look better.
Melf, I started work on a Genesis site around two years ago, but soon gave up when I realized I had more fun playing the games than reviewing them. Plus I can't write an interesting review for the life of me.
I admire your dedication though and your work has lead me to some games I may of never given a chance. I'm anticipating your forthcoming website and will surely bookmark it.
Looks pretty good from what I've seen Johnny. If you're ok with it, I'd be willing to put up your Monster World Review on the site. That's a game that needs to be seen more.
That review was rushed and more filler than anything, so it's kind of embarrassing. I wouldn't object to you using it though. You can use any of the images for your site too, I just ripped them from various Genesis games anyways so it's not like they're original works.
It wasn't bad at all. Concise and pretty well-written. All I want is for the reviews to be more than your typical "two sentences and a score" that so many other sites have, and in-depth reviews and features are going to be the meat of the site. Your review is pretty darn good actually.
I'll get it done so it'll be ready for launch. The only thing that needs to be changed is your reference to the English ROM version. A simple change in one sentence makes everything cool though. You will. of course, get full credit for your work, so I need your last name to put on the review. Thanks for the contribution!
You can just switch the first paragraph with this if you don't want your site associated with the emulation scene.
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Never being a fan of the Monster World series myself, I started playing MW4 with low expectations not knowing that I'd be blown away. It has since proven to be one of the greatest games to never make it stateside.
Was having a blast with the game, until I reached level 4, and the whole pace of the game sloooows down. That first segment in the alien lair is horrible, and the train section was no better.
Haven't really seen as many uses of his grappling hook either. I feel the first stage really set the tone of the game, the second stage was the obligatory underwater stage, but then stage 3 started an on rails section?
It's almost like the designers started shifting focus halfway through the game, because level 4 slows down to a crawl, and those horrid colors and that background really put a strain on the eyes. Hopefully it picks back up.
Game has been really easy too, haven't checked the options menu but hopefully there's an option to up the difficulty. I haven't had any sort of difficulty on any boss fight yet.
Melf, I have a Super Turrican 2(complete)- I wasn't planning on getting rid of it, but you seem passionate enough about the series. I might be willing to trade it to you- it's the best one in my humble opinion.
By the way, I've heard that Super Turrican 2 was only released in South America. Any truth to this?
Anyways, great review.
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Contemplate this upon the Tree of Woe.
Wow, those screenshots really show off the Genesis' color palette limitations. It is real garbage.
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"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
- Dom Helder Camara
Of course only a mongrel like you would ignore the sheer power of the Genny's BLAST PROCESSING!
SNES 4 LIFE YO! 256 COLORS ALL UP IN THAT ASS!
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"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
- Dom Helder Camara
james pond......now that was a "euro-feeling" game if i ever played one. actually scratch that....its was just a really BAD feeling game.
whaaa? I never thought about that... 'Euro-feeling'? hehe. I used to clock days on that game on my Amiga 500. Thinking about Amiga 500 platformers; I need to replay Superfrog!
Mega Turrican
