Alex Kidd

[stevetheman90]

So I put the effort into beating Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle. I do not really know how to feel about. I cant dislike because it is Sega, but I cant bring myself to love it either. There is many kool aspects and features in it, but they are equally matched by flaws. I like all the powers ups, but I dislike the control's there too slippery. Any one have mix feelings about this game/series.   

[crackdude]

This is one series I never understood.

[SOUP]

Congrats on beating it.
Honestly, the only franchises off the Master System that I've really gotten into are Fantasy Zone and Wonder Boy. Alex Kidd never clicked for me either.

[stevetheman90]

It just has something missing has the ability to be good but just lacks the tools to make it good.

[mylifewithsega]

Wasn't Sega trying to make Alex Kidd their mascot in order to compete with Mario?

[Barry the Nomad]

Yeah, Alex was SEGA's answer to Mario.

Alex Kidd is a really interesting video game character and series. I like to think of him as the Oswald the Rabbit of SEGA. In his heyday he was the star, given loads of press and a number of games. Then when Sonic arrived, Alex Kidd was quickly kicked to the curb and the flaws of the series and character became very apparent.

I wasn't aware of Alex Kidd in the 90's, since I was a Sonic kid, but I did learn more about him in the early '00's and played most of his games. They're fun, no doubt, but they are missing something. I think that "something" is what Sonic has and Alex doesn't have. Alex Kidd felt too difficult, he was too prone to death. One hit deaths kill a game, in my opinion. I hate walking on pins and needles when I play a platformer. The best platformers take more than one hit to kill the player: Mario has a maximum of three, Sonic varies but you're pretty much assured to live if you have a lot of rings.

The punching mechanic is kind of lame. It's not the coolest attack. Ristar, however, has a similar method of attack but it's far cooler. Stretchy arms help.

Anyway, I do like Alex Kidd, if only for the history behind the series. I love how SEGAGAGA utilized him:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjQ3J68ZEVY[/youtube] 

Poor guy. I also really liked his cameos in SASASR and Superstars Tennis. He deserves the recognition. His games may be so-so, but the character was fun to play as in those instances.

[stevetheman90]

Agreed punching is a bit weak. The power bands or shooting bands whatever they are, make the game more accessible since it adds a range attack. I like the power ups over all but it is also pretty lame when you die because you lose which ever one you use. The Pelicopter is great and it was cool to be able to use it in all star racing as a power up. I only used the bike once in enchanted castle though.

[CrazyT]

I loved all of the master system alex kidds except for that educational game (that rpg thing). Tbh alex kidd in the miracle world is simply a classic. To me it is not better than sonic 1 for either the master system or genesis, but it stood strong as a slow platformer next to sonic. I think its a waste they havent done anything with alex kidd yet because i imagine with the right people, alex kidd could be a great platformer. I do gotta say they really gotta do something about his design, really dont like his sumo digital design.

The genesis game... from day one i thought it kind of sucked balls

[Emmett The Crab]

I loved all of the master system alex kidds except for that educational game (that rpg thing). Tbh alex kidd in the miracle world is simply a classic. To me it is not better than sonic 1 for either the master system or genesis, but it stood strong as a slow platformer next to sonic. I think its a waste they havent done anything with alex kidd yet because i imagine with the right people, alex kidd could be a great platformer. I do gotta say they really gotta do something about his design, really dont like his sumo digital design.

The genesis game... from day one i thought it kind of sucked balls

I agree with you.  I loved Alex Kidd.  I played through them all on release except the Genesis one.  Miracle World was the best. 

Crazy Tails, on Alex Kidd in High Tech World, did you figure out to pray to the gods 100 times for the passport?  I had to call SEGA's free hint line.

[CrazyT]

I agree with you.  I loved Alex Kidd.  I played through them all on release except the Genesis one.  Miracle World was the best. 

Crazy Tails, on Alex Kidd in High Tech World, did you figure out to pray to the gods 100 times for the passport?  I had to call SEGA's free hint line.

Lol I really don't remember much about that game. All I remember is that I entered this room where this woman was asking me all these difficult questions I had to answer, and I didn't know what the answers were. The worst part, I couldn't quit untill I did answer them... don't know if this sounds familiar lol. But I haven't really played the game from that day. All the other alex kidds are great games, I personally love the weird alex kidd and the lost stars as well hehe. Oh what a strange game

[Emmett The Crab]

That quiz is right at the beginning.  After that you have to work your butt off to collect pieces of a fake passport... Then you get caught with the fake passport and you get turned away.  There's a little shrine where if you go up to it and press a button, you kneel down and pray with a little dialogue window.  Then if you do that 99 more times, rhe passport falls out of the sky.  High Tech World is a video arcade... That's the jist of it. Weirdest game ever.

[MadeManG74]

Scissors, Paper, Rock boss fights are the best thing ever.

[Aki-at]

Wasn't Sega trying to make Alex Kidd their mascot in order to compete with Mario?

No, not entirely true.

SEGA's original mascot was Opa-Opa. Though the popularity of Alex's games made him edge out Opa-Opa as SEGA's official mascot but even his tenure as official mascot was a rough one. Soon after Joe Musashi and the Shinobi series became one of SEGA's key franchises on consoles (Even though he was already in the arcades, Revenge of Shinobi was seen as a key title for launch of the Mega Drive) and so even Musashi was stepping on Alex's turf. SEGA though clearly never saw Alex as the rival to Mario and did not think he was "cool" enough for children so the idea to create a new mascot, which eventually would become Sonic the Hedgehog, was born.

[Centrale]

...which ultimately was depicted in this moment of comic genius as featured in Segagaga...

[JohnOfRage]

I never played Alex Kidd.