Megadrive - The console that time forgot.

Well after a long break (Jesus it really has been a while) I'm back. I'm back with a newly acquired set of games to review....as well as otehr stuff, So lets get onto it.

Many many many moons ago, (Before sega screwed up with the dreamcast and lost tons of money) When games were created to appeal to entertainment and not bog standard point shoot head explodes in realistic graphics. A console existed...A brilliant console, Ok ok so not the best but its still in the top ten ever made imo.

The sega megadrive (16 bit to all you oldies) has been round for many generations in families. It was the bane of talking points when I was younger as well as before i was born. (Shocking isnt it, I didnt have one?) It was a simple thing, Make games based on movies, Tv shows and comics...And the odd original idea (Dont get many of them these days ;D) that will keep people entertained for hours. Not by adding realistic graphics with 50 billion levels and modes of play. Noo, By genuinely challenging the player! This is what we need! Not tons of game modes clogging up our dvd's! We want more challenge! The days when you could watch mario crush turtles under his feet with nothing but the laws of gravity! None of this sub machine gun high powered endless action sequences.

Welllll...That was a bit tounge in cheek coming from me playing resi 5 for the last 3 hours but alas! It was a fair point. Anyways, After a Christmas of drinking and a return home to ipswich (with some minor set backs thanks to some rather handicapped characters deserting me in this flat) my flat mate returned with quite possibly the best bag i have ever seen. Inside was a bundled parcel containing, The sega megadrive...And the nintendo gamecube.

Now when something like this happens to a gamer at random, We sort of lose it. Downing the contents of your glass and immediately ripping the xbox leads out of the tv and Shot gunning the sofa for a good position...that was ours.

We set it up, Tuned the tv (Alas HD you screw us again) and prepared....For a blue screen, Of course after so many years of not being touched...The old cartridge and system needed a good ole blow j-. You know what, That jokes been used to much, We removed the dust...happy?

Finally as we got a picture the classic SEGA logo appeared on screen, Sonic was seconds away from us. The chiptuned music strung up a beat, In our hearts. A tear rushed from our eyes, We were about to experience what children of the 90's would wake up to every day.

Sonic wondered on screen looked at us, In the geekiest way possible, We sort of looked back into his eyes. As pixelated and forgotten as they were, It was as if we had awoken from a coma. Sonic was a small chubby blue hedgehog again, None of this anime look with lengthy permed spikes with skinny legs and a stream lined look, NO he was how he started. A pudgey shortass with a knack for running very very fast and a HUGE dislike for eggs.

So we started playing....Now wine and cheese gets better with age...The megadrive cartridges get crippled. Every few minutes (ironically in important spots) the screen would static then go back to normal, Kinda like when your great nan sneezes and everyone immediately bricks it for a tissue. But alas, The old girl held strong, The game continued....Until we swapped cartridges, Time to play some sonic spinball!

Now i dont know if anyone has played this game before, But its addictive....I mean this game is so buggy you played it just to glitch. The aim is to get emeralds and kill bosses as normal in sonic games, But spinball is set out like a pinball machine. After 15 trys we finally got past the first level......and gave up......It was time to take a break.

I think that the megadrive has collected dust for far to long! Its such an underestimated console, The cartridges are fairly priced and sega have re released it in a easy plug in and play console...So put that hd screen on standby, Lock uo your PS3, Take those stupid 3D glasses off and enjoy some classic pixelated nonsense!