Sega Astro City Mini Part 5

 Welcome to Sega Astro City Mini Part 5!

26. Rad Mobile - This is one of the games I was really waiting to play when I first ordered my Mini. I have a special attachment to this game. I can't quite remember playing it in the arcades, but I do remember it being featured in Encino Man. Anyway, Rad Mobile's like Outrun in the fact that it's a point to point racer and you can keep racing provided you make it to the next checkpoint in time. Unlike Outrun, though, you are racing against other people, and some turns are actually banked, so it gives the game a pseudo-3D effect. There are also sections that require you to turn on your headlights or use your wipers. I played the first three levels and had fun. It's a bit on the hard side and continuing puts you back at the current checkpoint, so you can't just drop coins and push through it. When I come back to it, I may have to save state a bit to get to the next round. 

27. Cotton - I've never heard of this game, most likely because it's a Japanese shooter. There's text before each level, and unfortunately, it's in Japanese so I've no idea what is being said. It doesn't affect the gameplay, though. Instead of being a space ship, you're actually a witch on a broomstick, and you have a little fairy that follows you around fighting with you. Having a drone all the time is a +1 for me, but the one thing that I don't like is that for some reason, when I continue, I get put back at the start of the stage. Sometimes, I don't. I like the game for the most part, but if I return to this, I'm probably going to end up save stating because I don't want to be returned to the level at random times. It's just weird. 

28. Arabian Fight - I've never heard of this one, again, most likely because it's a Japanese game. As such, the text is in Japanese, so I'm in the same situation as Cotton. I love it when a beat 'em up does something different to make it self stand out in the genre. This is an Arabian-themed brawler, so all the levels are desert and pyramid based. You fight standard enemies, skeletons, lizardmen, snake women and the like. You also have magical special attacks where your character jumps to the front of the screen and does a little animation before they cast it. The game's sprites are also pretty large, and they scale down the further you go into the background. I just wish it was animated a bit better, as it's pretty jerky. I do like this game, though, so I'll come back at some point to beat it. 

29. Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death of Adder - I think I may have played this game in some form. Unfortunately, this is also the Japanese version, so the text is useless to me. Anyway, this plays better and faster than the first Golden Axe, and the magic system has been changed up. Now you can stock up on as many bottles of magic as you want instead of having to collect them in order to fill up a staged meter. This definitely comes in handy. I picked a female centaur, and I really enjoy playing as her. I also like the new ridable animals. This is going to be one of those games that I'm really going to look forward to coming back to when I bring out the Sega Astro City Mini again. 

30. Puyo Puyo - My first exposure to Puyo Puyo was with Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on the Sega Genesis. I just recently got Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 on the Nintendo Switch after loving the hell out of the first one. So, it's nice to actually play the original arcade game that started the franchise. Once again, this is the Japanese version, and there's story between your character and the character you're battling, so it's disappointing that I can't read the text exchange. Anyway, if you never played Puyo Puyo, it's a simple puzzle game where you move a group of two blobs around and match them up by color. It's a Vs puzzle game, so you're always going against someone else, and it's very easy to get buried under someone else's trash very quickly. Man, though, I used to be so good at this game, but I'm really rusty. Since I have Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 on the Switch now, I doubt I'll ever go back to this version, especially since I can't read the story. 

31. Dark Edge - Before I eventually get to Sega's first 3D fighter, I played some of this psuedo-3D fighter. It's all sprite-based, but the gameplay involves moving up and down the arena with the sprites rotating as you move to simulate a 3D effect. It's a bit off-putting if I'm being honest, very hard to line up any attacks. Plus, it only has six fighters to play with, a low number for fighters back then. I played a few of them, and didn't really enjoy what I played. Also, I fought someone who I swore kept telling me to "Fuck off!" when she threw her projectiles at me. Ahh well. Virtua Fighter's just around the corner. 

So that wraps up the fifth installment. The sixth and final is almost here! Thanks for reading!