 SEGA DRUNK As you might guess, I'm not all that familiar with most Sega Genesis games, so I figure one good way to get to know the system a little better is to start digging into games that were released late in the console's lifespan. Because obviously by that time, game designers and developers had more than a decent grasp of how to work with the Genesis hardware. Ristar was released more than six years since the Genesis was made, and sure enough, this is one of the most polished and well put together 16-bit platformers you'll ever play. On the surface it looks like one of those tired games that desperately tried to create a franchise off a goofy character, like Bubsy, or Bug, or Croc, Arrow the Acrobat, Buck Bumble, and on and on. But yeah, Ristar is pretty weird. I mean, your main attack is extending your arms to grab enemies and headbutting them into nothingness. Yeah, kinda weird. But this isn't just a flimsy gimmick to try and stand out, Ristar really goes all out and making a platformer that's just a bit different than the running and jumping you're used to seeing in games like this. Instead, you're using your arms in eight different directions to stretch and grab and climb, and even using these poles as launching points to really pick up speed. I'm reminded of games like Twin Bee Rainbow Bell Adventure and the Rocket Knight Adventure series. Launch at just the right angle with the right speed, and you're invincible. That's pretty cool. Eventually, enemies start coming at you with weapons and spikes, so you have to whip around and headbutt them from the right angle. So yeah, even though you can fling yourself in the air and fly, this isn't a platformer but you just sprint your way through. You gotta grab and climb and actually think for a split second. Okay, how do I approach this? There is some typical platforming stuff here though, like the health system, which is just as you'd expect for a game like this, and many of the levels have the usual themes you're used to seeing, like a fire level, an underwater level, a snow level. Each level has two stages, with the first ending with a mini boss, and the second with a real boss fight. And those are pretty clever, and you know, I actually found myself looking forward to seeing what the next boss fight would be, like this one in particular, where you have to beat the enemies in a specific order, or this one where you have to feed this guy what appears to be some good old fashioned Minnesota hot dish. Oh boy, he didn't like that, oh darn. Anyway, as you can plainly see, this game looks just fantastic. It's one of the best looking games I've ever seen for Genesis, and the soundtrack is also very good. There's really no flaws here at all. Ristar is one of the best Genesis games I've had the pleasure of playing. It's great. And thankfully, it's on the original Wii Virtual Console, as well as on a bunch of compilation releases for PS3, Xbox 360, and for PC. So yeah, this game looks kinda samey at first glance, like you've played about a million games like this, but Ristar is a different kind of platformer, and I'm really glad I stumbled upon it.