 SEGA DRUNK I think we can all safely agree that there's certain types of games the Sega Genesis simply executes a lot better than the Super Nintendo can. I'm referring to stuff like Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, and Ranger X. Yes, that's right, another absolutely crazy chaotic game filled to the brim with carnage, featuring some awesome boss design and some of the most incredible graphics you'll see anywhere. I mean, just take a look at what's going on right away in the first level. You're on some kind of ultra-powered bike getting bombed to oblivion with enemies above you, while other enemies come swarming in from all angles. And while all that is going on, you can see a city off in the distance getting fired upon. That is some awesome attention to detail. And in a nice touch, the stage even concludes having you take out the weapons, doing the bombing. And then from there you find a boss that takes up over half the screen and you shoot its legs from underneath it and it comes crashing down. Just spectacular. So underneath all the spectacle, what really is going on here? Well, a lot, as it turns out. And the action here is formatted to the Genesis controller, which is pretty interesting. The A button fires to the left and the C button fires right. Left and right on the D-pad will make you move in that direction, but it won't change the direction you're facing. It's a bit goofy at first, but with a little practice it works pretty well. The B button is reserved for special weapons and items, everything from bombs to clear screen attacks to a flamethrower, to this really cool mechanical bird that acts as a boomerang to jump you activate your jetpack by pressing and holding up. But if you hang in the air too long, your jetpack will overheat and you'll crash. That's what the meter in the lower right is for. In addition to that, there's also two vehicles you commandeer. You start out with the aforementioned motorbike the game refers to as the Indra. You can actually merge or transform into this thing, which is kind of cool. And when you're in that form you can move around faster and jump further if you hold down on the D-pad. When you're not using the Indra, if you're using a six button controller, you can actually control the bike on its own. Similarly with how you control your mech, with X moving it left, Z moving it right, and Y to switch your special weapon. Just bear in mind that the Indra has its own life meter, and if it runs out you die as well. It makes for a stressful experience in an already stressful playthrough, but it is really fun to try and manage both you and your bike separately through all this chaos. Later on in the third level you're introduced to the EOS, this flying thing that provides air support from above, but unfortunately there's no way to control the EOS independently. There's more, your special weapons operate in their own independent power meter in the lower right, and they charge by sunlight. Wait, what is this, Baktai? The sun is in your hand? Yeah, when you're outdoors the meter charges automatically, but if you want to use these weapons underground you have to fly up and punch holes through the ceiling to get some sunlight down there. Later on in the game, during nighttime levels, you have to rely on these lights to charge your weapons, and you definitely need them to take out these enemies and the later bosses. The second level in particular is insane because you have to manage your health, your jetpack energy, and your special weapon energy all while flying upward to the exit. It is really tough. I've described certain games in the past as easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master, but Ranger X is difficult to pick up and play, and even more difficult to master. The controls are unorthodox and complicated, and don't get me wrong, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think the biggest problem with this game is the second level which takes place underground. The first level does a good job of giving you plenty of space to deal with the barrage of stuff coming at you, but then you're suddenly navigating narrow tunnels and you don't have nearly as much room to move around, and as a result the controls are a hindrance and the game really gets frustrating. I would have no problem with this level if it were later in the game, but the fact that you have such restricted space to move when you're still getting used to the controls is really a downer. Now there's only a total of five levels here, so it's a short enough play through that it doesn't warrant a password system or any kind of save feature, but that doesn't mean it won't take you hours to finish this game. Ranger X kind of reminds me of Higane for Super Nintendo in that way. You're just given so many different capabilities with so many different things to manage that there's no way to just dive right in and be good at them immediately. However, the game is balanced well enough, for the most part, that there is a method to all this madness throughout. So yeah, Ranger X was virtually ignored at the time of its release, mostly because Sega was busy promoting their new CD add-on at the time, but man, oh man, this game is something. The graphics and art design are absolutely incredible, the sound design is fantastic, the music is awesome and fits the game perfectly, and the relationship between your character and your bike reminds me a lot of an art type game and how that series uses your ship and the force attachment. Yeah, the controls are a bit wonky at first, and the level design may not always match your character's abilities, but the best way I can describe this one is if you combine an art type game with something like Higane and mix in a little Gunstar Heroes and Alien Soldier. Ranger X may take a while to get used to, but it's still a great playthrough and an incredible spectacle to take in. And I want to thank you for watching, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.