Round Table: Is Comix Zone too hard?

RoundTable[Above art by SavinArtem via DeviantArt]

Welcome to another installment of our Round Table series. This one will be part of our Comix Zone week and will be looking at the questions asked by SEGA fans in the mid-90’s: Is Comix Zone too hard? There have been very few people I know that have beaten the game without using stuff like safe states or cheats. It is just one of those games that takes dedication and patience. Something most of us didn’t have much as a kid. Of course you can tell us your opinions in the comments.

Let’s get this discussion started!

Classic SEGA Ads: So you want to live in a comic book?

SEGA of America’s nineties advertisement strategy can be summarized thusly: come up with the most batshit insane thing you can and run with it. Anyone looking for proof need look no further than this…thing they produced to sell Comix Zone. I kind of get what they were going for, since old comic books often have over-the-top, melodramatic dialogue and bizarre storylines, but this is more like a crazy depiction of some weird cult than anything to do with super hero comics. Unless there was a weird cult in Comix Zone, since I’ve never been able to get much further than the second level.

Looking back though, does that really matter? I don’t think so! This is a fun, quirky little ad that encapsulate SEGA’s attitude more so then the game it’s advertising. It wouldn’t have sold me on Comix Zone back in the day, but it certainly makes me miss what video game advertisement used to be like. I’ll take this over a slick trailer filled with review scores any day.

As a little bonus, I thought I’d also include a print advertisement for Comix Zone, seen in comics and magazines. It’s a little blander, sure, but it also gets to the heart of what the game is a bit more. Check it out after the break!

Comics to Cartridge: Comics that inspired Comix Zone

carttocomics

[Sketch Turner drawn by RainDante]

It’s quite obvious that Comix Zone is a 16-bit video game tribute to the comic book medium. It takes several aspects from a variety of popular comics throughout history and uses them in its own way to create a unique world.  Here are some that I’ve noticed during play. Since the developers never talked about stories in comics that influenced them, some of these could only be coincidence.

Let’s have a look.

My Life with SEGA Season 3 begins with a pulpy SEGA Genesis classic – Comix Zone

My Life with SEGA is back, and in HD! That’s right, it’s retro gaming in high-definition.

In the season 3 premiere, I go back 18 years to re-experience a 16-bit piece of art, ripping through page after page of aliens and mutants in Comix Zone. Developed by Sega Technical Institute, this brawler from the mid 90’s was praised for it’s glorious presentation, but scolded for its late arrival and brief playthrough.

Now that Comix Zone is old enough to move out, how does it hold up today? Click it. Watch it. Love it. Damn! That sounds kinda’ dirty, doesn’t it? Oh well.

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Turn the page, it’s Comix Zone Week!

ComixZoneWeek
Welcome to Comix Zone week, where we will be giving you a whole week’s worth of Sketch Turner love. If you have a copy of this SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive classic, give it ago for nostalgia’s sake and stay tuned all week long for new content. This fabulous game was first made available in 1995 for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. It was later ported to Windows PC, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, and PSN. Its also been featured in both Sonic Mega Collection Plus and Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection.

Check out our full overview of Comix Zone after after the break!

Sony dates rest of the Genesis PSN releases

Awhile back SEGA announced it would be releasing a collection of SEGA Genesis titles, mostly titles already out on XBLA.  If you are a Playstation Plus subscriber, these games where free. But since only Sonic and Sonic 2 have been released, when will the rest?

Playstation Plus:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Mar 1 – June 14 (out now obviously)
  • Streets of Rage 2: June 14 –July 12
  • Golden Axe 2: July 12 – August 9
  • Comix Zone: August 9 – September 6
  • Altered Beast: September 6 – October 4

If you don’t have Playstation Plus, here is the regular schedule. Playstation Plus basically get the games a week early.

SEGA Sales: 50% off select XBLA titles (UPDATED)

CVG has just reported that from April 19th through April 25th, Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Crazy Taxi, and OutRun Online Arcade will have their prices slashed by 50%. OutRun will run you 400 points, Sonic 4 will cost 600, and Crazy Taxi will set you back another 400 points. No better time to pick these titles up than now.

SEGA Europe has posted a blog about this same sale that includes ALL of their XBLA titles included in this sale. Pick these titles up NOW. Below is a of the titles on sale.

[Source: CVG]
[Source: SEGA]