Games That Pushed The Limits

Games That Pushed The Limits Part 1 | RetroGaming with Racketboy
Games That Pushed The Limits

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Part 1
I have been recently been fascinated by the history of the various machines that have battled for
our living rooms. Each machine has had its strengths and weaknesses, and as a programmer, Im
amazed by some of the ways developers have harnessed the power of consoles and pushed them
to their limits resulting is some marvelous games.
I usually try to emphasize that gameplay is more important that graphical quality. However, I
thought it would be interesting to take a look at games that were the most demanding when it
came to a consoles limited system resources.
Other Parts:
Part 2 & Part 3 Part 4 is on the way
Subscribe to my feed or sign up for email updates to keep up with this project.
Solaris

Im by no means a 2600 expert, but Solaris is definately
one game that comes up quite frequently in terms of
innovative 2600 games. Considering the 2600 wasnt
originally intended to do much more than play Pong
variants, Solaris is a technical masterpiece with its
sophisticated gameplay and relatively high resolution
graphics.
Although the game played much like a first-person space shooter, you can always see your ship at
the bottom of the screen. The graphics for Solaris were first-rate as the multi-colored aliens are
flicker-free and glide along smoothly, even when attacking in groups.
Full Review of Solaris
Super Mario Bros. 3

Nintendo stood behind its first two systems for a quite a
while even when the next generation of consoles had
made their footprint in the market. Because of this,
developers knew the NES inside and out and were able to
develop some excellent games that kept up with the
upcoming 16-bit titles.
Super Mario Brothers 3 led the way of pushing the seven-

year-old NES technology to its limits by being worlds apart
from its predecessors in terms of graphics and sound. Just about every gamer was blown away by
how groundbreaking SMB3 was when it was debuted. Of course, the infamous movie, The
Wizard gave us a preview of the beautiful, new sprites, backgrounds, and animation effects.
If you had never seen an NES before, you would think that Mario 3 was an early version of Super
Mario World. The characters are alot bigger and many are more detailed than the original SMB
games. In the Giant World levels, we get a serving of especially-large sprites the goomba is
http://www.racketboy.com/retro/games-that-pushed-limits-part-1[19/03/2015 16:32:29]
twice the size Mario.

Full Review of Super Mario Bros. 3
Castlevania 3

With the third installment of the NES Castlevanias, Konami
packed a very large game into that small cartridge with a
couple of custom mappers, which gave the NES very nice
graphic effects, such as rotation and parallax faking.
The graphics are revamped and are some of the best on

the NES. A very large amount of animated tiles in the
backgrounds of movement stages fill the game with a
haunting atmosphere. Some action stages have some
surprises that add to the challenge, such as automatic scrolling, rising water, crumbling bridges,
and falling towers.
Konami made the most of the graphical capabilities of the NES to provide intricate details such as
stained-glass windows, moss on rocks, eerie swamp fog, ominous shadows, rotting wood, and
spectacular lightning flashes. This is a definite step up from Castlevania 2 which often repeated
backgrounds. The enemies and bosses look much better than they did in the previous Castlevania
games (which were good to start with). The animation is one thing that is much improved, as many
of characters now have more than just one or two frames.
Full Review of Castlevania 3
Kirbys Adventure

Kirby was another one of those games that came out for
the NES as gamers were already looking forward to SNES
titles. Its a cute and fun-filled game that, like Super Mario
Bros 3, looked like an early SNES game with a smaller
color pallete. Kirby had an advantage on Mario 3, however,
as it was the largest licensed NES cart at 6 Mbit.
Rather than make some piece of trash as the last great

NES game, the makers polished it and polished it until you
can almost see your face in it. The graphics stretch the 8
bit format to its absolute limit. It is the aesthetic equivalent of painting the Lords Prayer on a grain
of rice the beauty is that of working within the limitations.
Kirby himself is a beautiful vibrant pink, the worlds he passes through are delicious lime greens, ice
blues, chocolate browns the rich colours do not attempt to emulate 16 bit, but instead try to
make 8 bit as beautiful as possible. The attention to detail incredible as Kirbys character
animations are about as good as they get on the NES.
The backgrounds graphics may be The biggest strength of the game. In relation to most other
NES games, the backgrounds in Kirbys Adventure are superb. Theres one level that takes place
in a forest and you can see an ocean in the distance. There is also some nifty parallax scrolling in
the tower stages of the game. If all that wasnt enough, the game has smooth animation as well.
Even the intros to each level were nifty. All these little elements come together to create one
dreamy gaming experience.
Full Review of Kirbys Adventure
Honorable Mentions:
Megaman 6 One of the least favorite Megaman games, but the graphics are the best of the
NES series with colorful backgrounds and foregrounds and impressive enemy design. .
(Review)
Dragon Warrior IV -Weighing in at an entire 1 megabyte of program ROM, this RPG

improved on its predessors and pushed the bounds of what an NES cartridge could hold.
Correction: Im told that the real version of the game is only 512K. Still an impressive title,
however. (Review)
Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers This Capcom platformer was en excellent of example of
colorful sprites and great animation. A licenced game done right (Review).
Ghouls N Ghosts

Most gamers in the 80s (including myself) were pretty
much clueless about Segas first home system. While it did
not have the developer and retail support that the NES
had, it had a number of games, especially arcade ports,
that were graphically superior to the NES.
Outside of the slightly downgraded graphics and sound, the

Sega Master System port of Ghouls N Ghosts played
almost exactly like its bigger arcade brother, which would
cause even a Nintendo fanboy to be impressed. Even
though it is slightly slower, the presentation is so impressive that its hard to believe that this was
made for the Master System. Of course, it never looks as good as the 16-bit console ports, but this
really proved that the system could do amazing stuff with the right people behind the project.
Full Review of Ghouls N Ghosts
Phantasy Star

As one of the greatest exclusive SMS games, Phantasy
Star was an RPG that topped any other RPG in the 8-bit
generation. It was the first console RPG to be released in
the United States since Nintendo had not seen fit to import
either Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy for the NES at that
time.
Phantasy Star was jam-packed into a full 4 Megabit

cartridge and was superior to both games in terms of both
graphics and sound. It delivered fully detailed on-screen displays and character graphics (as
opposed to the tile-like graphics of Nintendos offerings) and made full use of the Master Systems
PCM synthesis chip to deliver one of the best FM-based audio experiences ever heard in an old-
school 8-bit RPG.
Full Review of Phantasy Star
Honorable Mentions:
Sonic the Hedgehog Series The SMS did not sport the Genesis so-called Blast-
Processing, but did a good job keeping up with the blue blur.
Gunstar Heroes If anybody can push a system to the max, its Treasure this rare
Genesis down-port still shined.
/
Sapphire

If there is one thing that can get a PC-Engine fan excitied,
it must be one of Hudsons high quality shmups most of
which demonstrated effects simply unthinkable on an 8-bit
machine.
Sapphire, in particular, featured a number of amazing

raytracing, rotation, real-time scalling, morphing, and real-
time 3D effects. Simply put, it had an avalanche of effects
without a single slowdown. Giant sprites, a heavy-metal
soundtrack and an outstanding playability make of
Sapphire a near-perfect shmup.
Sapphire is a milestone on PC-Engine history. Its quality is comparable to some great Playstation
shooters, like Raystorm. If not for the high price usually asked by sellers, Sapphire would be an
obligatory acquisition for any PC-Engine collector.
Full Review of Sapphire
Honorable Mentions
Dracula X (aka: Castlevania X) -Some truly gruesome creatures punctuate this game,
showing just what can be achieved in 2D with a limited color palette. (Review)
Strider Had an expert conversion to the PC Engine thanks to the Arcade CD format. With
the extra memory the Arcade Card afforded the programmers, this game was true to its
arcade parent in terms of graphics and gameplay.
Gunstar Heroes

Its nearly impossible to talk about the Genesis and
technical mastery and not have Gunstar Heroes come up
in the conversation. If there was one developer that knows
how to push 2D consoles to their limits, its Treasure (the
same group that brought you Contra on the NES). This
run-n-gun classic has mobs of sprites that litter the screen
at any one moment. The two player game features a
moderate amount of slowdown, but its not enough to
significantly detract from the game.
Every graphical element in Gunstar Heroes is impressive: from the rotating, pseudo-polygonal intro
logo to the warping, scaling, and rotation effects throughout the actual game. And, much like Metal
Slug, the bosses in Gunstar Heroes are made up of tons of sprites that move and jiggle
independently. Not only did Gunstar Heroes graphical effect enhance the visual apprearance of
the game, but it also help increase the variety of the gamplay.
No other game on the Genesis pushed the system as far as this technical marvel. In fact, nothing
on the Super Nintendo scaled objects as well, or moved this fast or smoothly with the possible
exception of a few Super FX chip games.
Full Review of Gunstar Heroes
Panorama Cotton

This European shooter had incredible 3D effect
backgrounds, making the MegaDrive hardware do things
that the Nintendo fanboys claimed were impossible on the
Sega machine.
The game plays much like Space Harrier and Burning

Force. It looks much better than the Genesis versions of
those two titles and its pseudo-3D line scrolling hasnt aged
all that badly.
Panorama Cotton is gorgeous to look at as it makes some of the best use of the Genesis color
palette Ive ever seen and the backgrounds are ripe with detail. The line scrolling effect is still
impressive, even if the overall scaling may seem slightly choppy to a modern gamers eye.
Full Review of Panorama Cotton
Vectorman
Vectorman was, in a way, Segas answer to the Donkey
Kong Country series and its pre-rendered, 3D-like
graphics. Vectorman not only looked beaufitul, but also
provided some animations that were even more impressive
than DKC.
Vectormans developers, Blue Sky Software, made use of

an impressive new program called Vector Piece
Software, which allowed the spheres making up
Vectormans body to be individually animated. Thats why he moves so smoothly, and how he can
easily glide into and out of his various transformations.
According to Vectormans head developer, Richard Karpp, A large percentage of the levels
implemented a creative use of the Genesis scrolling backgrounds it was possible to specify a
different scroll offset for each horizontal line, for example, which could give a parallax effect. It was
used vertically in a few levels as well, even though vertical scrolling was limited to 8 pixel chunks.
Some examples for of its uses were for waterfalls and the conveyor belts.
The bosses were all designed around this technique as well. The first boss that you encounter in
the game, which looks like a fighter plane, is actually implemented in the second scrolling
playfield, and they used scroll offsets to make it look like it was rotating.
One of the more subtle effects we used was the highlight/shadow mode of the Genesis, which
allowed the artists to use more on-screen colors than games typically used. To round out the rest
of the graphical effects, you can see dust motes above light fixtures, shimmering arctic waterfalls
and some impressive lightning effects. This late Genesis title kept Sega fans interested as Sega
prepped the Saturn.
Full Review of Vectorman
Honorable Mentions:
Sonic and Knuckles Not only did this last 2D console Sonic game have some beautiful
backgrounds, animation, and a sweet 3D-ish title screen, but its also was the only game to
have its special Lock-On cartridge format. It allowed you to attach the older Sonic carts into it
and play Knuckles in those games. Very inventive.
Contra: Hard Corps This shooter had a healthy dose of eye candy sprinkled with scaling
and rotation effects. Hard Corps also had some awesome backgrounds and level designs
that rivals the SNES version of the series in every way. (Review)
Virtua Racing Even though this 3D racer used a built in chip, it was awe-inspiring to see
running on the Genesis. And the games initial price tag was equally jaw-dropping. (Review)
Castlevania Bloodlines Bloodlines was able to do fake translucency, mirroring, parallax
scrolling, cloud effects, transparency, and other graphical feats that pushed the systems
powers were done in this game. (Review)
Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves

Just about every late Neo-Geo game pushed the
system to its limits. How else would SNK continue
to such masterful games on hardware that is over a decade old? If I had to choose one game that
defines how great of a 2D game SNK can push out of a Neo-Geo, Fatal Fury Mark of the Wolves
would top the list.
Although most gamers can expect great visuals from SNK, Mark Of The Wolves features some of
the best 2D animation in a fighting game. It has drawn comparisons with Capcoms Street Fighter
3, and although it doesnt have quite as many frames of animation as Third Strike, youd be hard
pressed to find many 2D fighters that move as fluidly as this one.
Additionally, the game rivals the likes of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 in terms of special effects; the
gratuitous amount of hitting sparks, fiery projectile attacks, and flashy lightning visuals are
generously displayed even with the simplest special attack (i.e. Butts rising uppercut). Its simply
astounding how smooth the idle animations are and youll begin to notice little details for each
fighter.
Full Review of Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves
The Last Blade 2

Weighing in at a whopping 554 Megs, The Last Blade 2
has some of SNKs most lush, detailed graphics ever. The
backgrounds are stylized and match the mood of the game
perfectly. The separately animated sprite fields add a
wonderful sense of depth and movement and they
augment the character graphics in a way that adds flair and
imagery with out competing or detracting from the
characters themselves. This combination creates an
atmosphere that really contributes to thrilling, intricate
gameplay (much like the first Last Blade did).
Every fighter is so finely detailed and animated that it will make you want to play more simply to
admire the art. I guess my only gripe about the art (and this is very minor) is that the characters
dont have their own backgrounds anymore, whereas in the previous Last Blade each fighter had a
personalized stage.
The pre-match cinemas are vintage SNK and there is plenty of eye candy effects with the specials
and supers. The zoom effect was also appropriately used, keeping the frame rate smooth and
constant, not to mention keeping the characters focused.
Full Review of Last Blade 2
Honorable Mentions
Samurai Shodown V This was the last of the offical Neo-Geo games and like other late
releases, it was impressive in terms of showing what an old platform could do. SSV nearly
topped out the Neo-Geos cartridge store capacity at 708 Megs. (Review)
King of Fighters 2003 THE biggest Neo-Geo game ever at 716 Megs. 2003 was the last
KOF game on the original Neo-Geo hardware and I still find it hard to believe its not a
Atomiswave game. (Review)
Sengoku 3 Graphically, the game is a quantum leap over Sengoku 1 and 2. The characters
are not only much larger but considerably more detailed with reasonably fluid animation. The
special effects for certain attacks are also extremely well done. (Review)
Metal Slug 3 Despite a couple of minor blemishes here and there, Metal Slug 3 is one of
the greatest ever 2D titles on any system, and definitely the most well-rounded game in this
series. (Review)
SNK vs Capcom Chaos SvC really had some potential as it has some large sprites and
great color, unfortunately, it seemed like SNK rushed this title as lacks the detailed
characters and smooth animations that many of its other fighters have. And once you actually
get into the game, you realize that it is pretty flawed. (Review)
Yoshis Island

Near the end of the SNESs long journey, Nintendo
released one more Mario World-esque game which
resulted in the most graphically advanced SNES game
especially in terms of 2D. Yoshis Island uses the Super FX
2 microchip to create sprite scaling and polygon effects
that are relatively advanced for a Super Famicom/SNES
game.
Obviously, the power of the new hardware gave Nintendo

the opportunity to display all sorts of great visual effects that had never been seen before. In fact,
when compared with 32-bit games being released for Sonys Playstation, Yoshis Island may have
left some people scratching their heads, wondering what advantages a CD-based console had
over 16-bit cartridges.
The entire game is filled with small details and little enhancements that really push it over the top.
Yoshis Island features a unique graphical style that looks similar to a childrens book; its very
colorful, with sketchy, handdrawn looking effects that popup and warp in real-time. Yoshi, Baby
Mario, and all of Koopas minions animate beautifully. Some enemies move strictly by scaling and
rotating around the screen, pushing the SNES to the max.
Full Review of Yoshis Island
StarFox

The first (and one of the few) games to bear the Super FX
Chip technology, Star Fox was a technical marvel as far as
Super Nintendo games were concerned. The enclosed
chip, which was powerful enough to push out flat-shaded
polygons and render them reasonably quickly, was also
expensive enough to limit its production to just a few titles.
The Super FX chip freed up the system resources inside

the SNES and made for one very fast, great-looking, and
great-playing 3D shooter. These and other such customized co-processor carts were very
expensive to produce, and it was not long before Nintendo began other, cheaper avenues of
assault on Sega.
Full Review of Star Fox
Donkey Kong Country (1, 2, and 3)

This popular series was without doubt one of the best-
looking group of platformers to ever grace a 16-bit console.
Rares development teams had found a way to convert 24-
bit animation sequences into a format that a 16-bit console
by creating on a high-end SGI workstation and then porting
them to the SNES.
It was a technique that was also used in Rares Killer

Instinct. Rare took significant financial risks in purchasing the expensive SGI equipment used to
render the graphics. If the game had not been a commercial success, the company could have
gone bankrupt.
Donkey Kong Country also is supposedly the first SNES game to use the scanline trick to push the
max on screen colors from 256 to 4096. To summarize, Donkey Kong Country is a game that
turned the the 16-bit era around and really got Segas attention.
Full review of Donkey Kong Country
Honorable Mentions:
Star Ocean & Tales of Phantasia Star Ocean netted a total of 48 Megabits of compressed
data, completely maxing out the cartridge format. Tales of Phantasia was one only other
game to come close. Both games were incredibly beautiful and featured voice acting a
rarity for cartridge-based games. (Check out the review of the new Tales of Phantasia GBA
Port)
Cybernator/Assault Suits Valken This mech shooter is filled with destructive details and
smooth animation. Its so suprising that this is actually a SNES game, I would say it actually
rivals its Saturn sequel, Assualt Suit Leynos 2.
Axelay This may be the definitive shooter for the SNES. The high resolution graphics are
stunning, and there are so many types of enemies that you rarely see the same one twice.
The centerpiece of this game however, are the bosses they are huge and imposing.
Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Did you even know that Alpha 2 runs on the SNES? Sure, its not the
best version of the game, but its still impressive to see it running on the Super Nintendo.
Stunt Race FX The second game which used the FX chip, but this racing game wasnt
quite as impressive as Star Fox.
Killer Instinct As mentioned above, it used a graphic techinique similar to Donkey Kong
Country and brought it to the 2D fighter genre.
Sonic CD

Possibly the best Sega CD game and the best Sonic the Hedgehog game ever, Sonic CD
took advantage of the Sega CD is just about every possible way. The blazing fast
gameplay that was possible in the original Genesis Sonic games was already impressive enough.
Instead of doing a quick port like some other Genesis-to-Sega CD games (Eternal Champions,
Earthworm Jim), Sonic CD was a complete renovation of the Sonic games.
Sonic CD started with a great FMV video intro that was enough to make Sonic fans drool (even if
the music was cheesy), but it didnt end there. Sonic CD featured and incredible CD audio
soundtrack, amazing sound effects (I still love Dr. Robotniks evil laugh to this day), improved 3D-
like Bonus Rounds that took adavantage of the SCDs extra processing capabilities, and 2
additional variations of each level (Past and Future) via the games time-travel feature. Why Sega
never built off of Sonic CDs features, Ill never know.
Full Review of Sonic CD
Silpheed

One of my first and favorite Sega CD games was an
amazing shooter that featured a heavy dose of pseudo-3D
action and cutscenes. I still think Silpheed is impressive to

this day.
Using polygonal objects with twice the level of detail of

those from Star Fox, and taking up almost the entire
screen at a high fps while doing it, Silpheeds graphics are
technically brilliant.

As your craft makes its way through hostile territory, the on-rails camera forces you left and right,
offering panoramic views of incoming armadas, cramped Star Wars style trenches, and bumpy,
obstacle-ridden surfaces.
The nicest parts are when it misses a huge object by about a centimeter, giving a real sense of
physical immersion in spite of the obvious limitations of the time, such as background pop-up.
Full Review of Silpheed
Honorable Mentions:
The Lunar Series The Sega CDs inproved storage capacity allowed developers to bring
epic RPGs to life in a way that was not possible before. Both Lunar games capitalized on
these strengths by bringing FMV cutscenese, magical soundtracks, and massive amounts of
gameplay to the Sega CD. (Review)
All those FMV Games While the gameplay sucked for the most part, the videos had to be
optimized in order to get the most colors out of the Gennys limited palete. Some of the FMV
games received 32X upgrades that boosted the image quality. Between the Sega CDs
storage compacity and the 32Xs image upgrade, these titles maxed out the Genesis
architecture.

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Part 2
This is a continuation of my series on console games that made the best use of each consoles
limited system resources.
Aliens vs Predator

There have only been a few times before the 21st century
where I was amazed by how sweet a game looked in
action. The only two that stay on the top of my mind are
Sonic Adventure (on a pre-release Dreamcast) and Aliens
vs Predator for the Atari Jaguar.
Of course, by todays standards, the game looks pretty

dated, but there was just something about how futuristic
the game looked while most of were still playing on our
SNES and Genesis. While it was the only game for the Jaguar that even tempted me to purchase
Ataris doomed console, Im still intrigued about the game to this day.
When it was originally released, I was blown away by the graphics. Wolfenstien 3D was the only
game that I had seen in this new genre and I felt that this was the holy grail of video gaming
graphics. The textures accurately re-created the feel of the movies. The aliens could use a few
more frames of animation for added realism, but this is a forgivable problem. AvP also had some
really great sound effects to round out the package.
Full Review of Aliens vs Predator
DOOM

As you can quickly see, the Jaguar was bascially the first
console for good First Person Shooters. The graphics in
Doom were nothing short of phenomenal in its day. The
walls, ceiling, and floor are all texture-mapped. There was
a great attention to detail on the Jaguar port, as it was
actually programmed by John Carmac.
If you compare it to the 32X version, the Jaguar version is

full screen, has multiple views of the monsters, has more
levels, includes networking support, has a better resolution, and has more sound effects. Here are
some screenshots to compare in order to visualize the difference
The only things missing from the Jaguar version of Doom are a few of the monsters, the music,
and a level or two. Otherwise, Jaguar Doom is an incredible accomplishment because it mimics
the PC game so closely. Im sure that by adding another 4 megabits, the Jaguar port could have
been a perfect PC clone.
Full Review of DOOM
Rayman

Raymans graphics and sounds were beautifully
engineered with some great themed levels full of soothing
color and animation. All the graphics have been done using
65,000 colors and couldnt look much better. The attention
to detail on both the characters and scenery gives Rayman
charmingly odd looks.
While gamers were getting excited by the early entries in

3D console gaming, Rayman showed that these more
powerful consoles could be used to make some phenomenal 2D games as well.
Full Review of Rayman
Honorable Mentions:
Iron Soldier One of the Jaguars crowning achievements, Iron Soldier featured colorful
graphics, a smooth frame rate and slick animation. The main complaint in the graphics
departments is that about 90% of the buildings are just plain boxes with absolutely no texture
mapping. (Review)
Cybermorph This pack-in title was the Jaguars first showcase game. It didnt require any
fancy FX chip like StarFox and was completely off-rails allowing you to fly anywhere you
wanted. But overall it was a lousy game. (Review)
Primal Rage

Overall, the graphics in this arcade fighter are very well
done and extremely smooth. With the visual acceleration of
the Jaguar CD, youll find that Primal Rage moves just as
fast as the arcade version. However, with such
accomplishments, it does bring its share of problems to the
table with the addition of image break up, and slow down in
some areas of the fight.
If you were to have one reason to buy a Jaguar CD, this

would probably it especially if you are a 2D fighter fan like myself.
Full Review of Primal Rage
Brain Dead 13

Following point and click games such as Space Ace and
Dragons Lair, Brain Dead 13 places you in the midst of a
rather unusual story line and you must guide your hero
through several different scenarios. Visually, the game is
one of the better-looking games in the genre and if youre
into these types of games, Brain Dead 13 is probably your
best choice.
Not only does Brain Dead 13 contain some of the best full
motion video to be seen on the Jaguar CD, but also doesnt pause in between scenes like Dragon
Lair. The game flows from scene to scene with only the slightest of delays.
Full Review of Brain Dead 13
Iron Soldier II

The best-selling Jaguar CD game, this sequel builds on the
originals mission-based gameplay, smooth animation, and
cool explosions, but brings enhanced graphics and more
advanced controls. The intro features some cool
cinematics of your mech wandering around a city blowing

everything to bits.
Full Review of Iron Soldier II
Honorable Mentions:
Dragons Lair & Space Ace These were strong FMV Arcade ports and were one of the
better console versions, but still grainier than the arcade.
Myst One of the better ports on the Jaguar, it matches the PC version pretty well.
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo

The 3DO is another one of those systems that many
people have forgotten about because it didnt have many
titles that stood out. Its also sad that the system died out
before developers were able to learn the ins and outs of
the system. The 3DO had some great hardware under the
hood, but unfortunately, it primarily received ports from
either the PC or other consoles nothing that was
optimized for the 3DO.
While the 3DO didnt have a lot of prime-time 3D action, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo had enough
eye candy to show off the systems 2D muscle. SSF2 was the first Street Fighter game to promote
big combos and flashy super move finishes. While the regular SNES and Genesis SSF2 ports got
the job done, the 3DO brought the game much closer to the arcade original and was the only
console for a while that featured the Turbo version which introduced Akuma to the masses. It
also topped the arcade version with CD-quality audio. The 3DO soundtrack even tops those of the
Playstation and Saturn versions.
Full Review of Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Samurai Shodown

If you couldnt afford a Neo-Geo, the 3DO version of
Samurai Shodown was your best bet if you wanted arcade-
authentic graphics. Although the graphics in the 3DO
version arent quite arcade perfect, they are the best of the
three console versions. While all the scaling, character
animation, sprites, and background graphics seem to be
fully intact, the game lacks some of the parallax scrolling
from the arcade.
If you had played the 3DO version of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, then you will have noticed the
same problem with the parallax in that game. This probably isnt the fault of the programmersits
just that the 3DO had some major problems doing this effect. However, the game does looks a
little bit sharper then even the Neo Geo version. This, in a way, makes up for the lack of parallax
and makes the game a little easier on the eyes.
Like the graphics, the sound in the 3DO is easily the closest to the originals you probably wont
notice any differences at all. From the sound effects to the amazing traditional Japanese
soundtrack, its all here.
Full Review of Samurai Shodown
Honorable Mentions:
Jurassic Park Interactive I played a demo of Jurassic Park Interactive back in 93 and was
amazed at how the game really made me feel like I was in the movie. I was severely
disappointed that the Jurassic Park game for my Sega CD never was that exciting.
Road Rash This version of the biker classic blows the doors off of the Genesis, Sega CD,
and SNES versions. It almost seems like a completely different game. The graphics, music,
animation, and other little details (like the little old ladies crossing the street) make this 3DO
title a real favorite. (Review)
Night Trap and other FMV Games Just like the Sega CD versions, these games showed
off the full motion video capabilities of the console. However, the 3DO wasnt tied down to the
limitations of an aging 16-bit system and its small color palette. Instead, the 3DO versions of
Night Trap and other games had not only bigger video frame sizes, but the colors were much
more life-like.
Virtua Racing Deluxe

At a time when 3D games were only to be seen in cutting-
edge arcade systems or PCs, Virtua Racing on the 32X
was jaw-dropping. In fact, the 32X is still considered
superior to the later Sega Saturn version.
The 32X did a wonderful job pushing the polygons in order

to provide a smooth and enjoyable ride along a number a
fun-filled tracks. As the Racing genre is one that definitely
benefits from full 3D gameplay, Virtua Racing remained a
dominate title until Sega Rally, Daytona USA (Saturn) and Gran Turisimo (Playstation) showed up
on the later 32-bit systems.
Full Review of Virtua Racing Deluxe
Virtua Fighter

While it doesnt compare with Virtua Fighter Remix on the
Saturn, Virtua Fighter on the 32X was another game that
made the 32X attractive to die-hard Sega fans. (That is,
before they knew the add-on was doomed) Like Virtua
Racing, it pushed the 32Xs 3D capabilities enough to
hold gamers over until the Saturn launched.
The 32X version actually performs quite similar to the

original Saturn version of Virtua Fighter. Both have their
issues such as flickering polygons, but running off of a cartridge on the 32X has its advantages
(no load times). Here is a really great side-by-side comparison of the Saturn and 32X ports of
Virtua Fighter.
Full Review of Virtua Fighter
Metal Head

This was one of the first games I got for my 32X and it was
very impressive to see so many polygons with textures
running on expanded Genesis hardware. While it looks
pretty bleh by todays standards, this was a fascinating
game at the time of its release.
I have to mention, however, that once the novelty of Metal

Heads graphics wears off, you will realize the the game is
pretty slow and somewhat boring. But I consider it to be a
good demonstration of what the 32X could do especially considering developers didnt have
much time with the add-on.
Full Review of Metal Head
Honorable Mentions:
Cosmic Carnage The gameplay may have sucked, but this fighter had a zoom effect
similar to Samurai Showdown and had armor that could be broken off. Those who do enjoy
this game will remind you that Cosmic Carnage also utilized the 32Xs enhanced audio chip
to produce some enjoyable tunes. (Review)
Knuckles Chaotix Chaotix combined the fast-action Sonic gameplay, bumped up the
image quality with some beautiful colors and sprites, and added some additional physics to
deal with the bungee element. Chaotix also utilized the zoom effect in additional to some
sprite scaling. (Review)
DOOM While it wasnt one of the best DOOM ports in existence, the 32X version was still
fun to play and ran fairly well.

All The Games That Could Have Been The 32X was killed off very early in its life and
there were a number of promising games that were slated for the 32X. Some examples are
Alien Trilogy, Alien vs Predator, Castlevania V, Darkstalkers, and Virtua Hampster.
X-Men vs Street Fighter

To most gamers, the Saturn is simply known as the system
that lost the console wars to the Sony Playstation. The
Playstation was built from the ground up to be a superior
3D machine in a generation that was hungry for this new
technology. So it was an oft-overlooked fact that the Saturn
was far superior in the area of 2D gameplay.
Possibly the best example of how the Saturn was the place
to go for arcade-authentic 2D fighters and shooters, X-Men
vs Street Fighter took full advantage of the 4MB RAM cart in order to keep the tag team action
quick and seamless in addition to minimizing load times.
The sprites were as big and beautiful as the real Capcom arcade version. If you try playing the
Playstation version of the game prior to experiencing the Saturn port, you will quickly realize how
limited the Playstation is in terms of 2D action. In fact, as if the less-impressive sprites werent
depressing enough the PSX doesnt even offer the tag-team feature one of the main selling
points of the game.
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter wasnt far behind XMvSF. It had a larger character roster,
but I just dont feel that it was as polished as Capcoms first crossover fighter.
Full Review of X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Shining Force 3

The last great installment of the Shining Force series was
an amazing game in terms of gameplay, graphics, and
presentation. Camelot Software Planning pulled off
software-based transparency effects for polygons, which
was originally thought to be impossible on the Saturn. Its
part of the reason why the SSF emulator still isnt rendering
spell effects and such properly.
Theres also the fact that Camelot not only utilized both
video processors for the game, but they also made use of
the audio chip to help with the graphics as well. In order to cut load times the game streamed the
data while you move your character around and target enemies even before you even confirm
your selection. Shining Force 3 was an amazing piece of software, especially given that Camelot
Software Planning wasnt a large development team.
Full Review of Shining Force III
Radiant Silvergun

While some claim that this shmup is overrated, there is no
denying that Radiant Silvergun pushed the 2D limits of
what a 32-bit console could do. Just as they did with
Gunstar Heroes on the Genesis, Treasure pushed the
Saturn to its limits with Radiant Silvergun, using a great
mix of sprites and polygons throughout the game.
Absolutely huge bosses and other objects fill the screen.
Most of the bosses (and theres a LOT of them) in the
game are done in polygons, and actually can be taken
apart piece by piece.
The graphics of Radiant Silvergun are rendered sprites over polygonal backgrounds. The
foreground sprites are nothing special, but the backgrounds are intricate and beautiful and they
even effect gameplay, providing obstacles and cover for your ship. The gameplay is punctuated by
the beautiful explosions and intense firefights the fill your journeys. If you are a shooter fan and,
for some strange reason, havent heard of this game you must try it!
Full Review of Radiant Silvergun
Virtua Fighter 2

The Saturns strength was 2D graphics, but there are a few
3D games that really push the polygon capabilities in order
to compete with the Playstation. Virtua Fighter 2 ran The
Saturn shows its hardware muscle by employing its High
Resolution 720575 mode (highest for a console game at
that time) while running at a smooth 60fps. The polygons in
VF2 were a great step above the original Virtua Fighter and
made the character look a bit more realistic. (Looking back,
its fun to think I thought these looked life-like)
Sega originally was planning on bringing Virtua Fighter 3 to the Saturn (possibly utilizing the 4MB
RAM cart), but as they saw the Playstation take over the market, they held off until they launched
the Dreamcast and Virtua Fighter 3TB. The closest thing Saturn owners got was Fighters
Megamix which took the models from Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers and threw in some of
Virtua Fighter 3s new moves. Megamix looked good, but lacked Virtua Fighter 2s high-resolution
feature.
Full Review of Virtua Fighter 2
Dead or Alive

A straight forward 3D fighting game based on the Virtua
Fighter engine, it features slick and intuitive gameplay. This
Saturn port looked stunning and many experts consider it
slightly better than the Playstation version. Even in its
Saturn form, Dead or Alive gain attention for its jiggly
animation techniques.
Its fun to look back at the 3D launch titles for the Saturn
(Daytona USA and the original Virtua Fighter) to see how
much progress was made. Sega seemed to rush ports of their popular arcade games to show that
the Saturn had some 3D capabilities to counter the upcoming Playstation. So its amazing to see
these later 3D titles show up when the developers had the time to learn the complicated
architecture (there were many DSPs, individual controllers and chipsets).
Dead or Alive Review
Nights Into Dreams

Besides all of the exciting arcade ports, this game alone was
one of the main reasons I wanted a Saturn. Sonic Team knew
the Saturn wasnt a 3D powerhouse so it created a almost 3D game that knocked everybodys
socks off. It was also the first game to bring out the Saturns bigger Saturn controller with an
analog stick (which is an obvious parent to the Dreamcast controller).
Nights features a number of flashy colors, well-textured landscapes, and light-sourcing. Ground
movement is full 360 degrees, with the ability to manipulate the camera to see a variety of
viewpoints. However, you will quickly notice that most of the gameplay takes place in flight. Nights
flight mode is basically on rails, so you dont have as much freedom as you might expect.
However, the execution strikes a perfect balance of beauty and playablity. I couldnt ask for much
more (other than a Gamecube sequel!) Also worth noteing, is that Burning Rangers was a later
Sonic Team title that used the Nights Into Dreams engine.
Full Review of Nights into Dreams
Honorable Mentions:
Saturn Bomberman This party classic isnt on this list because of its cute sprites and
animation, it is mentioned because it is the main motivation to stock up on Saturn Multi-Tap
Adapters. Saturn Bomberman brings to possibility of 10 simultaneous human players to this
classic franchise. (Review)
Sonic Jam considering the Sega had a hard time running a good Genesis emulator on the
Dreamcast (with the Sega Smash Pack), it is amazing to see how good of a job they did
emulating the 16-bit system on their 32-bit Saturn. On top of all this, the 3D Sonic World
that greets you in this compilation is of high quality and may have been a start of the engine
used for the elusive Sonic Xtreme. (Review)
Panzer Dragoon Saga This massive RPG took up a full 4 CDs and is regarded as one of
the greatest non-Square/Enix RPGs of all time. The game is almost entirely 3D the only
noticeable use of the Saturns powerful 2D hardware is in the free-fly areas where it draws
the ground as a far stretching 2D plane which you barely notice. The gorgeously smooth
animation of the dragon, the surprisingly detailed areas you can walk around. (Review)
Street Fighter Zero (Alpha) 3 Yet another great example of how good the Saturn was with
2D. This late Capcom fighter not only utilized the 4MB RAM cart to hold every frame of
animation from the arcade original, but it is probably one of the best console ports of Alpha 3.
The only thing the PSX version has up on it is the controls are a bit tighter.
Die Hard Arcade I found Die Hard Arcade to be one of the best 3D arcade conversions to
be found on the Saturn. The game engine allows zooming and panning to provide the best
perspective of the beatemup action, but the game runs in a standard resolution (As opposed
to the High-Res mode seen in VF2). The character animation is similar to Virtua Fighter 2
and also features texture-mapping, complete with facial features. (Review)

Browse Categories
Part 3
This is a continuation of my series on console games that made the best use of each consoles
limited system resources.
If you think I missed any games, please feel free to leave a suggestion with an explanation in the
comments section. I will be revising this guide as I learn more. Please wait until I have more parts
completed before posting links to this story.
Metal Gear Solid

MGS is a pretty easy choice for the PS1 since it
uses the same mind-boggling game engine for its
real-time cinemas that creates a seamless
transition from a game sequence to a cut-scene.
Game director Hideo Kojima has also
implemented a blurring effect to give Metal Gear
Solid a movie-like feel. .
Nearly every object (including Snake) is polygonal.

There are few clipping errors and the characters
move smoothly. The level of detail is unrivaled.
For example, you make footprints in the snow that
will eventually get covered up by snowfall. You can identify guards and other characters by their
breath in the cold air. Water effects are accurate, light sourcing is dead-on, and the textures are
solid.
Another way that Metal Gear Solid pushed the limits does not have anything to do with graphics,
but instead it depends on the pure creativity of Kojima and the MGS team. The game had a
numbers of points in the story where the memory card and/or controller is utilized creatively to
enhance the game experience or serve as an Easter egg. If you dont mind some spoilers, you
can read more about these instances at Wikipedia.
Full Review of Metal Gear Solid
Chrono Cross

While the gameplay and storyline of Chrono Cross
may not live up to its prequel, Chrono Trigger, it is
the pinnacle of RPG beauty on the Playstation
Even the low leveled spells and skills showed
delicious eye candy.
If you thought that the pre-rendered backgrounds

in Final Fantasy VIII were amazing, wait until you
feast your eyes on the locales present in Chrono
Cross. Everything is finely detailed and the
characters blend in extremely well with their

environments. The backdrops are detailed and look organic, resulting in an environment that
actually makes you feel like youre on a beach or in a beautiful village. The towns, caves, and
castles you travel to are breath-taking and it is a delight to see where you were off to next.
All 40-plus characters are intricately detailed and the 3D models of each are of some of the highest
PSOne quality and are smoothly animated. The boss battles are especially impressive, with some
of them practically taking up the entire screen. The particle effects used in Chrono Cross very
well-done and similar to those in Soul Reaver.
There is some slowdown during the more visually intensive spells in battle, but these things dont
even become much of an issue in gameplay. There are only a few FMV cut scenes, but they are
extremely well-done and were produced by the team behind those of Final Fantasy VIII.
Full Review of Chrono Cross
Gran Turismo 2

Graphically, it appears the Gran Turismo series
has tapped out the PlayStations capabilities.
Although the Sony marketing team boasted of
improved graphics in GT2, fans of the series didnt
much of an improvement over the original.
However, the attention to details, lighting effects,
and car rendering make this one of the most
convincing PlayStation games on the market in
terms of visual realism.
Gran Turismo also has mastered the lighting-effect

trick that gives cars a shiny sheen as they drive
from camera to camera an impressive visual thats coupled with the speed-sensitive hubcap-
rotation effects that accurately portray the whoosh of cars going past. I realize that the car shining
is just a visual trick intended to add to the realism, but you may noyice that when cars go through
a tunnel, the sunlight still bounces off their hoods.
Even with its small number of faults, Gran Turismo 2 still is highly regarded as one of the biggest
techincal achievements on the Playstation. On a side note, if you would really like to see Gran
Turismo 2 look really good, you may find that if you play the game on a PS2, it benefits from the
consoles texture smoothing. And Dreamcast owners will get the biggest graphical treat if they use
the Gran Turismo 2 Bleemcast disc on Segas wonderful white box.
Full Review of Gran Turismo 2
Final Fantasy IX

Graphically, Final Fantasy IX is slightly improved
over Final Fantasy VIII, but not quite up to the
level of Chrono Cross. The backgrounds are not
only rich and vibrant, but they are also are
animated, which further increases the amount of
visual detail. These beautifully hand-drawn
backgrounds push the limits of the systems
resolution while adding interactive elements, little
bits of animation and huge swaths of movement
laid over the backgrounds.
The in-game character models are slightly less

detailed and have a lower polygon count than those found in Chrono Cross. This sacrifice, though,
allows a four-member team, leading to significantly more complex battles without bogging down
the system.
Every single time you enter a new area in Final Fantasy IX, youre presented with something new
and beautifully rendered. The realtime battle scenes are remarkably faithful 3D recreations of the
corresponding pre-rendered areas, and as far as smoothness and refinement are concerned, the
spell effects are as awesome as weve come to expect, and the character animation in and out of
battle easily compares to many of the best Dreamcast RPGs.
While it didnt quite live up to all the hype in terms of gameplay, Final Fantasy IX pushed the
envelope in terms of the Playstations graphical ability. It easily set the stage for the PS2 and the
likes of Final Fantasy X.
Full Review of Final Fantasy IX
Einhander

Obviously, just about everything Square touched
on the Playstation was quite a beauty and it
wasnt only the case with RPGs. Square dove into
the shmup arena by bringing us Einhander.
In a shmup, you ideally want to see as much

detailed destruction on your screen as possible,
without any slowdown. Einhander delivers on
those dreams in full polygonal glory. (This shooter
has polygons, but the environment is not fully 3D
and the gameplay is still true to the 2D roots)
Einhander, for the most part, flies by at a solid 60
frames per second, however there are some minor slowdown issues once things get hectic with
20+ enemies on the screen at once.
Even the smallest enemy fighter in Einhander is a carefully crafted polygon with moving parts,
flickering lights, and plenty of style. The explosions are quite impressive and you will find that the
larger enemies get stop apart piece by piece. The bosses are gigantic and their defeats are a sight
to behold.
Einhanders background scenery is simply gorgeous and the game is filled with countless levels of
scrolling, complete with colored lighting and other impressive effects. Einhander also makes good
use of color, shading, water reflections and transparicies of polygons. All this eye candy in a 2.5D
environment causes one to re-think their definition of what a shooter should be.
Full Review of Einhander
Tobal No. 2

In addition to shooters, Square also dealt with a
few fighting games on the Playstation. While
Bushido Blade and Energhz were both great
games, Im choosing Tobal No. 2 as the Square
fighter that best showed off the Playstations
power. Unlike Tobal No. 1, No. 2 was never
released in the US. It is unfortunate as Tobal No.
2 improves on the original in every aspect.
The animation in this brawlers is silky smooth with

its high frame rate and it has some great touches
that gives the game some personality. Tobal 2s
visuals actually rivals some N64 titles as the characters very smooth (unlike Tobal No. 1s more
blocky presentation). The lighting effects are very nice looking as well, especially on the games
fireballs.
Even the backgrounds have improved significantly from the first Tobal. Usually, sequels to games
are simply re-hashes with a larger character lineup. However, the game engine in Tobal No. 2
game feels as if its been rebuilt from the ground up while maintaining the spirit of the first game.
The result is a 3D fighter that not only looks beautiful, but plays beautiful as well.
Full Review of Tobal No. 2
Ridge Racer Type 4

The original Ridge Racer was one of PlayStations
first big system pushers. Regardless of what you
thought of Ridge Racer as a game, you had to

agree that it was an excellent port of the arcade
version that showed the true potential of Sonys
32-bit wonder. However, in order to compete with
the high standard set by the Gran Turismo series,
Namco has really bumped up the graphic quality
of the Ridge Racer series in Type 4. Ridge Racer
Type 4 features a smooth framerate locked solidly
on 30 frames per second and lots of detailed
textures throughout the game.
The highly-detailed tracks have been arranged in such a way that scenery pop-up is kept to a
minimum (except of straight-aways, but its barely noticable). The instant replay mode after a race
isnt quite as dynamic and as up to the quality as Gran Turismo, but its certainly detailed enough
to hold its own.
Ridge Racer Type 4 has a great use of lightsourcing and things like brake lights give off tracers in
tunnels. There are still some imperfections in this fourth Ridge Racer increment, however such as
seeing the opposing cars through walls. Nevertheless, this late Playstation racer is still a great
sight to behold on Sonys 32-bit platform.
Full Review of Ridge Racer Type 4
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

The Playstation was never very good at 2D
graphics it was primarily built to show off its 3D
capabilities. However, there are a few great 2D
titles on the Playstation that could rival the
Saturns gems.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night made the

Playstation (or even the PS2s backwards
compatibility) cry with the heavy 2D work in order
to provide a breathtaking experience and a game
that is arguably one of the best 2D side-scrolling
adventure games of all time.
Castlevanias areas use some impressive graphical techniques, such as multi-scrolling

backgrounds and 3D techniques in the backgrounds that create the illusion of shifting
perspectives. This pespective trick is most evident in the Royal Chapel with the stained glass
windows and large cross in the far background. As the player walks or jumps, the windows, the
beams of light coming through them, the walkway between them, and the arching ceiling will
transform their shapes to match the players location.
When you combine these wonderful graphical effects with the games amazing soundtrack and
solid control and gameplay, you are presented with a Castlvania game that is still the standard to
beat for the modern portable Castlevania episodes.
Full Review of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Street Fighter Alpha 3

2D fighters have always seemed to suffer on
PlayStation because of the systems lack of a
significant amount of RAM. It took a dead Saturn
to make a great Street Fighter game on
PlayStation. When Capcom finally focused on
pushing the Playstation to its 2D limit, it found that
it could beat the system into grinding out 30
frames per second, that it could handle dozens
and dozens of characters, that it could put a
handful of characters on screen without slowdown.
SFA3 is right up there with SOTN for top 2D

honors. Alpha 3 did not get as good of console ports as some of Capcoms other fighters. While it
is missing some frames of animation, it performs respectively in other aspects, including having
some of the tightest controls among the console ports. Street Fighter Alpha 3, in my opinion, is the
best 2D fighting game Capcom has ever made for the PlayStation.
Full Review of Street Fighter Alpha 3
Honorable Mentions:
Final Fantasy VIII The low-polygon characters of FFVII are gone, replaced with sometimes
surprisingly realistic high-polygon models that only look better the closer they get. FFVIII
follows FFVII in using realtime 3D characters over pre-rendered backgrounds. All-around this
game is great, but on a technical level, Final Fantasy IX and Chrono-Cross top it. (Review)
Vagrant Story This beautiful RPG is generally overshadowed by Squares other titles such
when its arguably one of the best games on PlayStation. The art direction for Vagrant Story
is just amazing, and has outstanding animation. (Review)
Parasite Eve II - Yet another Square RPG that has impressive visuals. This series, however,
has a style similar to the Resident Evil series. The 3D models were very good, but Squares
later games such as Vagrant Story and Chrono Cross featured models that were more
detailed. (Review)
Wipeout 3/Wipeout XL Graphics and music have always been especially important to
Wipeout, and these later installments, theyre still quite impressive. Pop-up is nonexistent in
single-player and not too rough in the multiplayer. (Wipeout XL Review)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis The graphics are slightly improved over the second, and the CG
movies are a little bit more polished. New features such as dodging, a 180-degree turn, the
ability to blow up nearby objects, and mixing ammo are a welcoming addition to the series.
(Review)
Bushido Blade This unique fighter from Square had some of the most detailed graphics for
a polygonal fighter in its day and held a consistent 30 frames per second. However, in other
regards, it was only just above par for the Playstations capabilities. (Review)
Tekken 3 and Soul Blade Two more 3D fighters (this time from Namco) that were really
quite polished. Tekken 3 is still impressive to this day and Soul Blade is essentially a lower-
resolution counterpart to the later Soul Calibur powerhouses.
Fear Effect Creepy and cinematic, Fear Effect pushes the limits of the Playstations power
with its incredibly cool animation technology. Excellent production qualities.
Conkers Bad Fur Day

Near the very end of the N64s life, and well after
the Dreamcast had been released, Rare pulled out
all the stops for its final N64 game. Rare took what
was originally a kid-friendly game and retooled it
to be a ground-breaking, more adult-themed
game, and pulled every graphical trick out of its
book for Conkers Bad Fur Day. Conker totally
really made gamers re-think what the N64 was
capable of both in temrs of content and
graphics.
Conkers Bad Fur Day has some phenominal

character shadows, fantastic draw-in, perfectly blended texture design (that not even Banjo-Tooie
can touch), multi-layered transparencies, almost two hours of real-time cinemas, and the
extensive particle effects system. Conker absolutely pushes the N64 to its graphical limit, but this
becomes painfully obvious when the frame rates bog down while you enter outdoor areas.
However, if you were able to tolerate it in Perfect Dark and Banjo-Tooie, Conkers BFDs dodgy
frame rates wont be a problem.
Conker also features full Dolby Surround Sound, similar to Rares other titles like Donkey Kong 64.
The game features hours of full speech dialogue between characters. Its really amazing what
those guys could cram on a cartridge. I used to make fun of Nintendo for sticking with cartridges
for so long, but looking back now that Im more educated, its definately possible to make great
games on a cart, plus load times are non-existant.
Full Review of Conkers Bad Fur Day
Perfect Dark:

From superior graphics, which really showcase
the capacity of the N64 Expansion Pak, to Dolby
Surround Sound, to seemingly unlimited playability
potential, Perfect Dark is one of the headlining
N64 titles.
The game isnt nearly as enjoyable without the

RAM expansion, since the graphics in Perfect
Dark use the full potential of the system. If you do
utilize the Expansion Pak, youll be rewarded with
high-resolution graphics, as well as drastically
improved frame rates. If you thought the graphics in Rares previous shooter, Goldeneye 007 were
incredible, Perfect Dark will completely blow you away. They are so good that all of the cut-scenes
are done in real-time (much like Metal Gear Solid).
At first glance you may not notice such a large improvement over Goldeneye, but once you start
digging into the game, you will notice all the little details that makes Perfect Dark a worthy
successor. Things like lens flare, blur effects, and lighting effects make everything seem much
higher in quality and realism. The textures are also crisper, clearer and dont blur nearly as much
as those in Goldeneye. All the character models are higher in polygon-count and look much
sharper than ever before.
Full Review of Perfect Dark
Zelda: Majoras Mask

Majoras Mask runs on an upgraded version of the
Ocarina of Time game engine and utilizes the
4MB RAM pack. Graphically speaking the extra
4MB gives you a greater draw distance, less pop-
up, more local lighting, textures, and animation, in
addition to more characters on the screen.
The draw distance is so amazing that the first time

you step out into the world of Termina you can see
almost endlessly. The textures are colorful and
diverse, and each new area has its own unique
look because of it. Nintendo even introduces some new effects like motion blur and use the
feature in a number of the cinematics in addition to the gameplay.
Because of the strain that this Zelda puts on the N64, there are some scenes that drop as low as
10 to 15 frames per second. At certain times Nintendo opted to take the framerate hit for some
added visual effects. But overall, Majoras Mask has been polished and shined in a lot of areas,
and nearly uses all of the N64s resources.
Full Review of Zelda: Majoras Mask
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

This shooter filled up one of the largest N64 carts
at 32 megs (which ties it with Zelda) in order to
bring five virtual miles of gaming areas. The first
level, for example, consists of nine areas, each
larger than some entire levels in Banjo-Kazooie.
The game is so large in fact, its been stated to
take approximately 45 hours to complete.
(Although, this speedrun was completed in 4
hours)
Gone are the numbingly repetitious texture

patterns found in the first game that resulted in
those incredibly monotonous environments. Each of the six levels in Turok 2 contains its own
exclusive texture data, meaning that no two levels will look alike.

Gorgeous lighting effects abound, along with other visual tricks and eye candy. The character
models are nearly as impressive.
There a number of great effects that provide an engaging atmosphere: realtime lighting effects,
soft-skinned characters with unrivaled animation routines, unique architecture in each level, super-
sharp and detailed textures. However, these effects can also bring an incredibly frustrating
gamplay experience with disappointingly slow and choppy framerates, mostly caused by effects
that we could have done without.
Turok 3 had some of the same effects, but it toned them down a bit took out some of the ones that
were not as necessary. But since were talking about the games that stress the hardware most,
my vote goes to Turok 2.
Full Review of Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
Resident Evil 2

This N64 port takes the contents of two
PlayStation discs, including all the FMV
sequences and the bonus missions, and fits it into
one 512-megabit N64 cartridge, which ends up
being twice the size of The Legend of Zelda cart,
for the record.
If you use the N64 expansion pak, the visuals are

bumped into hi-res mode, making them look even
better than those in the PlayStation version in
terms of both resolution and anti-aliasing (no
jaggies). But even without the pak, theyre still very impressive.
The games frame rate also slows down a bit when numerous monsters are onscreen at once, but
not enough to affect gameplay. And though the computer-generated FMV sequences look grainy
in comparison with the PlayStation version, they still look fantastic considering the cart format.
The FMV cut-scenes are not as good as the CD versions, as there is definitely some artifacting
present, and everything looks a bit more blurry, but it is otherwise very impressive.
Full Review of Resident Evil 2
Honorable Mentions:
Banjo-Tooie This great platformer features some massive would and the game engines
drawing distance is just staggering. Banjo-Tooie also has some impressive ligting effects
such as the real-time shadows which can stretch and can come from multiple light sources.
These effects combined with many different animation routines is all done without help of the
Expansion Pak. (Review)
Donkey Kong 64 DK64 is the first title that must be played with the memory expansion pak.
Graphically, the high-resolution detail is immediately apparent (theres even an optional
widescreen mode). For those with a high-quality sound system, the Dolby surround sound
effects adds to gameplay audio clues can help gamers find certain items such as fairies.
The audio filters, such as when a Kongs underwater, are also impressive. It wasnt as
revolutionary as the original Donkey Kong Country was in its day, but Rare still pulled some
performance out of the N64 with DK64. (Review)
F-Zero X Incredibly fast vehicles on crazy cool courses. It showed off how fast the N64
could draw, but lacked a good deal of textures. It was a great game, but I needed F-Zero GX
on the Cube to get the real deal. (Review)
Soul Calibur

The Dreamcast had a pretty short lifespan. It was
an impressive machine so its a shame that
developers did not have more of an opportunity to
push the system to its max. However, its ironic
that one of the Dreamcasts most impressive
games (in terms of graphics and gameplay) was
on of the systems first games.
Soul Calibur is gorgeous, but when you consider

the game was a launch title for the Dreamcast, its
image quality is all the more impressive
(especially with a VGA adapter). The 3D

backgrounds are stunningly rendered with realistic lighting that affects the characters and their
shadows. The models are superbly animated using realistic motion-captured fighting moves. Back
in 1999, you had to wonder if screenshots were pre-rendered video of if it was actually running off
the game engine.
The best part of the games graphics, though, doesnt lie in its models, but rather in its animation. A
quick look at the hidden exhibition mode, in which the characters practice their fighting patterns
will reveal a level of animation closer to reality than had ever been previously achieved in the
arcade or home. And when viewing an actual fight, youll see the same level of animation
splendor.
Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast is actually much improved over its arcade counterpart in the
graphics department. I had played Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast a number of times before I
actually saw a SC arcade cabinet. When I did stumble upon one, I was greatly disappointed.
Initially I thought maybe the display was bad, but in reality, the graphical polish just wasnt as
strong as the Dreamcast version.
Full Review of Soul Calibur
Shenmue 2
The first Shenmue game was one of the most
beautiful and revolutionary titles for the US
Dreamcast. Unfortunately, the US store shelves
never saw the sequel that improved the game in
every way (unless you count the XBox port).
The game engine was incredible (The graphics

were actually just the start). Each building,
sidewalk, table, chair, crate, and every other
environmental nuance has been rendered and
calculated with an insane amount of detail and
elements such as the color and intensity of the lighting is carefully reproduced for each
environment.
To those of you that own a newer-generation system and play games like Splinter Cell or Half-Life
2, you may not think that is impressive. However running on a machine released in 1999, it is not
much to sneeze at. Shenmue II is, without a doubt, a testament to the power of the Dreamcast.
Full Review of Shenmue II
Skies of Arcadia

Being one of the few good RPGs on Segas last
system, Skies of Arcadia was quite popular.
However, you may be wondering why this title is
on this list. After all, the character models may be
cartoony and plesant, but they arent exactly
cutting-edge.
However it is the inner-workings of the game and

the extra touches that fully utilize the Dreamcasts
hardware. This massive game completely filled the
systems memory in order to dynamically render
the environment on the fly and hold its massive
landscapes. Because of this, there are a number
of areas where slowdown is experienced. The special moves are especially prone to this, but
many of them arent extremely noticable unless you play the Gamecube version (the Cubes extra
power resolves these issues). The heavy-duty graphical effects for the special moves (primarily
Ramirezs Destruction attack) results in mistiming of sound effects.
The environments and characters are depicted via some of the best graphics yet seen on the
Dreamcast. The framerate is almost always a solid 30, dropping only for the most intense spell
effects (and certain areas of the overworld map). Since the game is locked at 30, the designers
had a lot of polys to work with, and it shows. This is by far the most detailed world yet featured in a
3D RPG, with great architecture and extremely varied and detailed textures. OverWorks has done
an excellent job of exploiting the Dreamcasts muscle and have taken RPG visuals to the next
level.
Full Review of Skies of Arcadia
Sonic Adventure 2

Like I mentioned in the AvP writeup in Part 2, the
original Sonic Adventure is one of the only games
that has wowed me graphically. In the days when
the N64 was the best there was, Sonic Adventure
on the pre-release demo Dreamcasts looked like
something gamers only dreamed about. While the
original Sonic Adventure was eventually bested by
later Dreamcast releases, Sonic Adventure 2
increased the eye candy (and focused more on
action gameplay).
Sonic Team pulled off some incredible

accomplishments with Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast it pushed several million polygons per
second, had gorgeous lighting effects, featured ultra-high resolution textures, and had all that
locked in at 60 frames per second.
On top of all those feats, SA2s environments are works of art, dazzling the eyes, but always
remaining fuctional in terms of gameplay. The textures are all very large and detailed, which is
important in the painting of the games many environments. All in all, youd be hard pressed to find
a game that looks much better on the Dreamcast.
Full Review of Sonic Adventure 2
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future

The environments in this game are so beautiful, I
think of Ecco as an ocean simulator more than I
think of it as a game. The geometry and texturing
of Eccos aquatic world are near perfection,
creating a stunning and believable environment
from the lush scenery to an exotic assortment of
underwater creatures.
The overall graphical gloss is very high, with lots of

fantastic little touches: the animation on the
animals in the game is amazing, the lens flare is
great, and the underwater shimmering is very
realistic. Of course, with all this detail the frame rate does suffer at times. However Ecco is the
kind of game where a frame rate which hovers between 60 and 30 isnt as noticeable as a racing
game or first person shooter.
There are 34 levels in total and theres no denying that Ecco is a massive game which will take a
long time complete. Since the game involves a lot of exploring and puzzle solving, I didnt find it as
engaging as some people. It is beautiful, but I personally get frustrated by the Ecco games.
Full Review of Ecco the Dolphin
Dead or Alive 2

As I mentioned before, the original Dead or Alive
was a technical feat on both the Saturn and
Playstation. With the sequel, Tecmo decided to
license the NAOMI arcade board (which is
essentially a Dreamcast with more memory) from
Sega which eventually led to a flawless
Dreamcast conversion.
The characters are smooth and and animated

seamlessly including their hair, clothing, and
the female characters breasts (which actually had
their own physics engine).
The characters are not as realistic as Soul Calibur, but instead, DOA2 is geared more towards fast-
paced action. The arenas are richly detailed, enormous, and have multiple levels. They are,
however, so beautiful that they require a lot of memory. This means that in Team Battle or Tag
Team modes, you can only fight in one, simpler arena since the game actually has to load four
characters.
There is an ongoing discussion as to whether the Dreamcast or PS2 version of Dead or Alive is
better. To see a good breakdown of the different aspects of each port take a look at this
comparison.
Full Review of Dead or Alive 2
Resident Evil Code: Veronica

While Resident Evil 2 and 3 were good fun on
Dreamcast, they were still just ports of the
Playstation versions, so they hardly pushed the
Dreamcast. Luckly, Capcom built a Code Veronica
on an updated engine to take advantage of the
power of the Dreamcast and Playstation 2.
Code Veronica has the most impressive graphics

in any Resident Evil game prior to the fresh
Gamecube installments. Capcom switched from
pre-rendered environments to a three-dimensional
nightmare. Code Veronica uses the Dreamcasts
power to move seamlessly throughout the game without sacrificing any of the series marquee
backgrounds. Somehow, Capcom also worked all this out without having any noticable load times.
The character models are nearly as detailed as Soul Caliburs. Just like Soul Calibur, they look so
good, its hard to tell the difference between what is pre-rendered and what is running off the game
engine. Cutting edge lighting effects further enhance Code Veronicas graphics. Everything that
should cast light on its surroundings.
Full Review of Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Honorable Mentions:
Phantasy Star Online Ver. 1 & 2 Sonic Team seemed to know the Dreamcast inside and
out that the graphics and textures in their games (the Sonic Adventures and Ecco the
Dolphin) were incredible. Their work in the Phantasy Star Online series is no different. PSO
also paved the way for Segas groundbreaking online network which paved the way for
later networks like XBox Live. (Review)
Propeller Arena AM2 produced some great visuals in this unreleased game, and when you
combine that with some incredible 4-player split-screens, the planned online play and voice
chatting, Propeller Arena would have taken the Dreamcast into the next level. (Review)
Alien Front Online It had many of the same things going for it as Propeller Arena. This
multiplayer Tank game had some impressive graphics and environments so much that it
suffered from some slowdown during heavy battles. (Review)
Jet Grind Radio JGR was one of the pioneers of cell-shading. It takes normal 3D models
and puts an additional graphical layer on top to make it look like anime or a cartoon, making
a huge difference in the atmosphere. Plus no Dreamcast game pushed the music out like Jet
Grind Radio. (Review)
Rayman 2 The game boasts one of the most lavish and beautiful 3D cartoon worlds yet
produced in a video game. The game feels literally alive, and the superb soundtrack and
sound effects help boost the immersion further. The polygon counts are not insanely high on
Rayman 2 but the textures are incredible and the frame rate is silky smooth. (Review)
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike & Guilty Gear X These two fighters showed off some of the
Dreamcasts 2D power. Third Strike has some of the best animation to be found in a 2D
fighter and Guilty Gear X has its trademark high-resolution sprites. If only more game
developers took the 2D features in these two games to make some good platformers (or
games from other genres), I would be extremely happy.

Games That Pushed The Limits

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Games That Pushed The Limits Part 1 | RetroGaming with Racketboy