Existing comment:
SEGA Genesis
Action: Earthworm Jim
Creator Doug TenNapel and designer David Perry had a lot of fun designing Earthworm Jim. The story is based on a worm that transforms into an intergalactic hero after a robotic space suit fell from the sky.
Visual treats include launching a cow into the air… riding on the back of a giant hamster… and careening down an interstellar halfpipe.
Earthworm Jim represented the pinnacle of 2-dimensional animation at a time when game designers were just beginning to explore 3D.
In this game, players enjoyed interactive graphics that boasted the quality of traditional cell animation.
The exaggerated style, combined with a comical script and dynamic music, created an experience that blurred the line between cartoons and video games.
Target: Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes combined different game genres by blending target and side-scrolling elements into a single, action-filled experience.
Players took on the role of either Gunstar Red or Gunstar Blue to protect the planet against various enemies intent on its destruction.
Many games during the Bitwars Era emphasized the speed of game play in order to highlight the advanced technology. Gunstar Heroes made innovative use of detailed, fast-paced animation, while still incorporating the core mechanics of a target game.
Projectiles telegraphed through space to guide aiming, and enemies appeared in predictable patterns.
This didn't make it easy, however. The designers pushed the capabilities of the Genesis to its limits by simultaneously displaying as many sprites, or 2D animations, as possible, creating a visual cacophony of color and movement.
Adventure: Phantasy Star IV
Phantasy Star IV continued the narrative of its predecessors, but the increased power and storage capabilities of the Genesis allowed for richer graphics and more complex game play.
Players encountered detailed landscapes, buildings, and environments that served as backgrounds for animated battle scenarios that took the role-playing experience to a new level.
Through comic-book style storyboards, the designers incorporated an expansive narrative that played out over the course of the game.
This was supported by music that responded to the player's actions, changing from fast-paced tempos during battle scenarios to more somber tones during dramatic moments.
Tactics: Dune II: Battle for Arrakis
Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis was the foundation for most modern real-time strategy games, and incorporated many design elements that have since become standard in this genre.
These included a "fog of war" that obscured unexplored areas of the map, a tile-based system for alignment of building elements… and automated processes that would simulate the decay of player-created facilities over time.
The game was inspired by Frank Herbert's novel Dune, published in 1965, as well as the 1984 film by David Lynch. The existence of an established back-story in popular culture meant that the game could focus on action rather than narrative.
The designers used a top-down perspective, which allowed them to use simplified shapes to signify buildings, people, and objects.
As a result, they could dedicate more processing power to designing complex game play elements, including one of the earliest examples of AI, or artificial intelligence, to be seen in a strategy game. |