El Viento

[EightBit]

OK, so Im going through the trade in stack at work and I come across this Genesis game that I've never heard of. I say to myself, "Well, if someone asks me about this game, and I dont know what its like... well that just not doing my job. I gotta play it.". So I did. Quite a nifty title. I like everything about it really. The music is ... well a little forgettable, but not bad. Graphics arent great, but I like the style, and the animations of the main character are nifty. The setting is really cool though. 1920's cities, where you, a girl with magical powers from Peru, must fight to stop ancient evil from being summoned, or something like that. So I bought it.

Anyway, it doesn't do anything innovative, or anything particularly intresting. Just a cool action title with some kick ass character designs. Which brings me to a question I have about the game. Who did the artwork for it? I looks familiar, but its not ringing any bells. Also, if anyone has love/hate for the game, I wanna hear it. I've only gone through the first level, so maybe the game turns into a crapfest in the later levels. I dunno.


Z-roe

[Lordmrw]

I didn't like it. I bought it after reading a gamepro review 10 years ago or so, and it just didn't appeal to me.

[EightBit]

Originally posted by Lordmrw
I didn't like it. I bought it after reading a gamepro review 10 years ago or so, and it just didn't appeal to me.

I can totally understand that. From all I've played so far, the game feels very average. Its totally its style and atmosphere that pulls it through as a very likable game for me. I would've like to see some kind of intresting attack mechanic tied in with this one.

Z-roe

[Prince Planet]

I kind of liked El Viento (and still have the cart, box, and original manual in pristine condition). I haven't played it in years, but I thought it was a decent effort. Wasn't this a Renovation title?

It had a neat little into with the scrolling skyscraper, and fairly cool character designs. I recall being rather netural on the play mechanics in the early levels, but it became quite a bit more fun (and more challenging) in the later levels, along with some neat boss encounters -- the "amoeba/jellyfish" boss comes to mind.

I also thought there was a Japan only sequel to this title that maybe came out on Mega CD (there was also a planned domestic release that never happened.) Someone on this board will be able to tell you more about the sequel.

Anyway, I'm gonna bust this one out this week and see if my recollections are at all accurate...

[Taito]

I just beat El Viento earlier today. I really like this game. I think the almost Strider-ish level design is solid, and the action is very fast and intuitive. Most of the enemies are also rather absurd (especially the 'plant cell' boss of Level 2 and the 'shell game' boss in Level 5). The game can be a little too easy once you know the best way to complete a level. Don't bother paying much attention to the storyline and focus on the nice artwork in the cutscenes. Overall, everything in El Viento is handled pretty well, but there isn't a whole lot of groundbreaking stuff in the game. Not the greatest action game on Genesis, but worth playing.

Originally posted by Prince Planet
I also thought there was a Japan only sequel to this title that maybe came out on Mega CD (there was also a planned domestic release that never happened.) Someone on this board will be able to tell you more about the sequel.

That's true. It was called Annet Again. The screens I saw of the game suggest it was a linear action game or some sort of beat-em-up. Never played it.

[Kidnemo]

Holy Crap!

Those Guy-Are-Us ads are freaking great!

I TOTALLY remember seeing those when they originally ran...

*dead*

[Taito]

Jamie Bunker looks like a fuggin' retard.

[Sqoon]

An incredibly bland game buoyed by astounding character design. I got it for $5 but the more thought about it, the more I felt cheated.

[NeoZeedeater]

I have El Viento. It's not great but I definitely like it enough to keep it. I should go back and beat it some time.

Anet Futatabi is a beat 'em up. Opinions seem to range from mediocre to good on it.

[Melf]

I liked the cut scenes, and the game is solid enough. There's some slowdown, especially in the later levels, but not enough to detract from enjoying the experience.


And ya gotta love those Wolf Team explosions! Kaka-boom!