Dick Tracy - Sega Genesis Review

[@fusionspace175]

Important to note, there are no health pickups and no power ups, so your starting set of moves is all you'll ever get. Master them. The most important skill is managing the background enemies at the same time as the foreground enemies. There are many traps programmed into how they spawn, and you'll often have to take them out in the right order, or take a hit. Luckily you respawn where you died, so progress isn't lost until lives run out. Also everything you break in the background adds points, and points add lives, so shoot everything if you want to play it safe. In the bonus stages, if you have a genesis or similar layout pad, I recommend using your first three fingers on the three face buttons, each one is assigned to shooting a specific target left middle or right, rather than trying to move your thumb. It's very difficult, but well worth playing, as it is Contra level fun. Just be ready for a lot of retries.

[@UltimateGamerCC]

punching mobs while you can in stages can help with points as well.

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

You get a bonus if you don't break ANYthing in the background! So mastery will give you many more points!

[@fusionspace175]

@@QuestionBlockGaming Cool, I never knew that in like 30 years of playing it. Now it makes me want to go for it lol.

[@atrocity3010]

Very difficult is an understatement. I could spend the rest of my life playing this game and never beat the final stage.

[@anton1990]

The manual states that you can get a first aid kit if you find “The Kid”. But he is of course nowhere to be seen in the finished game, so it was probably something that was abandoned during production. I think he made an appearance in the Master System version.

[@csquared79]

For only having 5 months, the fact it isn't an absolute dumpster fire is really impressive

[@MaxAbramson3]

Lots of sidescrollers were developed in that kind of time frame. Genesis games cost $50-300k to make, and maybe 4-18 months or so. Only a few were given more time than that.

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

The game isn’t great and the game was only on a 4 meg cart so repeating of assets are the order of the day but the graphics are impressive for such a tiny 512kb game and I disagree with Sega Lord X about the music, it’s pretty decent and captures the 1930s theme quite well and the tunes are very memorable too.

[@ralang999]

3:40 the gunmen from Shinobi are the grandchildren of these guys lol

[@bonusmemez2739]

Still better than the NES Dick Tracey game!

[@UltimateGamerCC]

leagues better

[@stargazerlaurent6780]

Honestly the graphics still hold up

[@jasonlee7816]

Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive games didn’t hold up well until the developers started using 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Mbit cartridges

[@Larry]

Loved this game as a kid. Amazed no one has tried to copy the premise of contra style platforming mixed with cabal/wild guns background shooting.

[@arnmrs1660]

I love this game. I loved it back in the day in early 1991 and I still love it. It' so unique, original, challenging, colorfull and fun to play. Mike Cerny is a genius and it shows here. And there's a lot of variety in the game. Unfortunately, the film was not a box office success and this ended up turning the game into a hidden gem. So underrated. PS: Sega lordx, there is the movement of climbing on top of the car that you didn't show in the video.

[@Lord_Deimos]

As a kid I used to love wearing my dad's trenchcoat, my granpa's hat and pretend to be Dick Tracy.

[@ottagol1985]

I am still grateful that I found this game at my local FunCoLand in Staten Island as a kid. It was hard as hell, but I still enjoyed it back then.

[@Equint77]

I remember the ads to this game in the old game magazines like gamepro and electronic gaming monthly. I was in awe of the photos of the graphics as a kid.

[@rorytaylor626]

I have fond memories of playing this at a friend's house as a kid. Always seemed like one of the more polished licensed games to me.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

Considering this is only a 4mbit (512KB) cartridge and everything was made within 5 months, that's actually very impressive. Imagine the same game on a 8mbit cartridge with 3 extra months of development :o

[@jasonlee7816]

if 3 extra months isn’t enough 4 months or 5 months on a 9, 10, 11, 12 Mbit cartridge

[@irkalla100]

I rented this game sooooo many times! The destructible backgrounds fascinated me as a kid.

[@Larry]

Smashing up all the stuff was half the fun! :D

[@RobbKong999]

So glad I still have my cartridge for this one.

[@timm_3r]

A Sega CD port could have given this game some quality of life upgrades and maybe some clips from the movie. This is one you should have in your collection, but it's NES hard. The enemies don't drop anything and you have to memorize the 100's of spawns for success.

[@dnmstarsi]

I do agree that if this game had a little more development time and more than 4 MB, this could've been something great. Though as it is, it's a solid game with nice visuals for the time and a few decent tunes.

[@paulpalace6292]

Later in the game, if you don't memorize where the enemies pop out, you WILL take damage, and the time limit on the last melee-combat/alley level is brutal. If you don't speedrun it with zero hesitation, you WILL time out. I beat the game once back in the day using pause buffering and rage. Otherwise, its a pretty good game.

[@flubberlane8437]

This actually looks like a fun game. 🕵️‍♀️

[@UltimateGamerCC]

it is, especially for a licensed game, in an age back when licensed games were almost always a cheap cash grab.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Best Genesis game ever

[@Greg_Games]

Yes, is a very fun game. Played it!

[@UltimateGamerCC]

lol whoa idk about that, i think that would undersell the console there.@@PsychomachineryEBM

[@Aaronwilliam]

Very underrated game, had a lot of fun back in the day. Yeah there was a lot of reused assets but back then it wasn’t unheard of so not a big deal.

[@joeyjo-joshabadu9636]

Pretty standard for 4 meg game

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

You’re gonna get repeated assets with the cart cite being a mere 4 Megabits which was still common for MD GEN games despite Strider being the first 8 Megabit cartridge.

[@Frikinautas]

Basically Shinobi + Cabal. I still enjoy it from time to time. What I didn't know was that Cerny & Co. made it on such a tight schedule. That adds an additional layer of merit to the overall product. From Marble Madness to the PS5 and beyond, Cerny's career is truly remarkable, to say the least.

[@michaelh.8945]

Very much a nod to the awesome Cabal, indeed.

[@jordanking6939]

Dick Tracy Sega Genesis is one of my favorite games because on every emulator I owned, I play Dick Tracy.

[@videogameobsession]

I like this game. I liked it back in at the release, and I still enjoy it. I give the repeating backgrounds a pass due to it only being a 512KB rom. I really enjoyed Shinobi and NAM-1975 back then, so to get a game that combined both genres was pretty awesome. Yutaka Sugano's Shinobi similarities are quite obvious. I wouldn't call this an S Tier game, but I'd likely give it an A.

[@ReaverPrime]

My old man was a fan of Dick Tracy as a kid. He passed along a bunch of old comics and merch he had from way back when. I grew up really liking it myself. Especially since the old cartoons were in circulation again at the time. When the movie released, we were right there on day 1. My dad was your typical stoic rock, so it was so cool to see him geek out over something from his childhood. I got the NES game that came out like a month after the movie. While I appreciated that it involved gathering info to make arrests, that doesn't exactly make for compelling gameplay. And unfortunately, I didn't play the Genesis version until years later. While it might not have set the world on fire, I certainly would have taken that version over the NES version as a kid. Hell, the Game Boy version that came out Christmas the following year was better.

[@abukumar9211]

Love the consistent content. Look forward to your uploads everytime!

[@griffgames9538]

Sega execs: "Make us a movie licence game in 5 months!" *finger snap*

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

One of my absolute favorite games for the Genesis! It's way better than it has any right to be and playing it is one of my fondest memories as a kid!

[@somersetretrogames]

The music is fine and fits the era and noir style.

[@Funkysauce]

I played this on Sega Master System and it drove me CRAZY with how difficult it was for me!

[@SoloBoardGamingKnight]

I never forgot about the day that I rented Dick Tracy for the Genesis. It was a wonderful memory I had as a kid. I loved the two plane gameplay and I often think about this game. I wish there would be a rerelease of it.

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

i really think the music is lowkey so lowfi chill in some places and one of the better examples of how a genesis sound system works, at least for me, i always thought it had a good soundtrack, but i think it is more my style over something pumping....

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

Personally I think the music sounds very good for such a relatively early game for the Mega Drive, it’s not gonna blow you away or compete with Shinobi 3 or Streets of Rage but as you said, it’s one of better examples of how to program the Yamaha 2612 sound chip.

[@mattb6522]

Good review! I don't remember this game and I know I never played it. Apparently, there is a patch available to add a save feature to this game, which sounds like a nice quality of life improvement. Some of these arcade-style games can be fun to run through even if the action gets a bit repetitive.

[@mercster]

Despite being 13 in 1990, I just never got into the Dick Tracy movie thing. I found it odd. Thanks Lordster! SEEEEEEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAAA!

[@retrogames3404]

An iconic and very classic mafia game, linear format with lots of action reminiscent of Batman 1 and many others, I really like its gameplay on the Genesis. Thanks for this video💥

[@generalkawasaki9485]

I still love this, why? well, you realize this is one of the very few games where all the enemy sprites have death animations and that's really the first thing you notice back then. Compare it to Actraiser I & II for example, everything you attack with your sword just explodes and then disappears, even the bosses. Which kills the fun for me, it is soo cheap. There is no thrill in Actraiser and all the other games where all your enemies disappear in a puff of smoke. How unrewarding would Dick Tracy be, if all the bad guys only blink and disappear when you shot or hit them with your fists?

[@myleghurts7419]

Never did play the genesis one but I spent way too much time on that shit NES Dick Tracy as a kid Edit: I can also really emotionally connect with the baddies in the blue suits. Get punched in the nuts, fall down and just disappear.

[@xwf1000v3]

This game was interesting to say the least. Did beat the game with Game Genie back in the day.

[@cinnamondan4984]

Had so much fun with the first level at my friend’s home in the 90s

[@moverofobjects]

What a random review! I had this game and loved the hell out of it at the time. I wonder what I would think playing it now

[@mcduckuk]

Great review. Seems like a missed opportunity. Not a game I played back in the day. Love the split shooting method. I'll give the game a go!

[@zg-it]

Played this with my brothers all the time on Genesis. Still have my cart.

[@MrSmokincodz]

This game is so nostalgic for me.

[@LuteFrontier]

Lord of Sega is back

[@videogameobsession]

I'm pretty sure it's based on the movie. Or at least the character images. It's definitely looking like Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy, as well as the other gangsters being based on the movie art, and not the classic comics. The box has a Touchstone copyright credit.

[@SegaLordX]

Yes, I said so in the video.

[@fusionspace175]

Yeah but it doesn't follow any of the movie story at all. There isn't even a Kid character in it, there's no war between Lips Manlis and Big Boy, I don't think The Blank appears at all, nor Tess Trueheart, and that's about 80% of the plot right there. It was most likely written independently of the script with only production photos as reference.

[@videogameobsession]

@@SegaLordX Indeed you did. My bad. I some how missed it.

[@mooontheto]

It's my childhood game. I think this game is very unique because you can shoot enemies in the background, and it's an ahead-of-time gameplay mechanic.

[@AnimeJason2011]

This version of Dick Tracy is far better than the NES version. As much as I like to play detective in that version, the one thing I don't like is when shoot the thugs, I get hit. The Genesis version, on the other hand, I blast them all like there is no tomorrow. Well done with the review. 😁

[@davidblankenship7985]

If I'd rented this I would have loved it. If I'd bought it with my own money, I would have returned it!

[@AnthonyRiddle]

This is the type of game I need to use an infinite lives cheat on to get any enjoyment out of it

[@UltimateGamerCC]

a Genesis/Megadrive Classic imo, a licensed game back in the day was almost always a lump of shit freshly dropped from a developer's butt cheeks, but Dick Tracy on Genesis was made with some real effort, by a few people, in only 5 months time. i imagine that's part of why there's so much music rehashing, they felt the timer getting short and so they finished and polished it up as best as they could, rather than wait for more music and leave it unpolished.

[@decline.enjoyer]

Thanks. I always wondered about this game.

[@randycruel]

This game is locked in my nostalgia and I will always love it.

[@ChaseMC215]

Dick Tracy having that 2-Way Watch/Radio combo is so cool. Think about it, that watch basically predated modern day smartwatches.

[@aodh5966]

In defense of the music composer, it is a tricky soundtrack, 1930s America. He did well giving it a jazz feel

[@masterchief247]

I really liked the music actually. It screams classic genesis, and has a moody theme that goes well with the era this game takes place in. Reminds of the music you'd here in a shady blues bar full of thugs.

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

Same here, I actually like the music too, sure it’s not gonna compete with the likes of Shinobi 3 or streets of rage but on its own it’s a solid soundtrack and I like a lot of the instruments used which were unique for the time, especially in the warehouse stage which is very jazzy sounding in fact a lot of the early MD/Gen used unique sound drivers with unique sounding instruments which were never used again in later releases.

[@masterchief247]

@@Adamtendo_player_1 Agree. Early game music on the Genesis was very "Japanese". I think that is why it seemed so unusual to all of us. Some hated it in comparison to the SNES. I loved it. One of the reasons I had a Genesis instead of a SNES when I was a kid.

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

@@masterchief247 same, I personally love the fact that the Yamaha YM 2612 sound chip in the MD/Gen was pretty much a synthesiser that had a good range of FM patches and even Strider had a unique sound engine with FM patches that were only reused once more with The MD/Gen port of Mercs and with Dick Tracy, Sega used FM some patches that were used in pop songs like in the Warehouse stage.

[@jimpatterson1111]

One of if not the best movies to watch stoned. I enjoyed the game also.

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

My dad played this game all the time. It's really hard. I didn't find out about the (bad) NES port until decades later via AVGN. I would take the Genesis version any day, despite its difficulty.

[@nathanc6516]

Have you done a video where you discuss if the Sega seal of quality actually means the games are good or not? I'm curious if that meant anything or if they slapped it on crap.

[@SegaLordX]

It means nothing other than Sega licensed the game.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

This is much better than the NES Dick Tracy which penalized you for shooting an enemy that didn't carry a gun. Just a bonkers mechanic to have in a fast paced side scroller.

[@albdamned577]

This is a fun arcade style game for the time it came out.

[@Akiga_games]

Awesome episode yet again! Great job SLX!

[@jasonking3182]

It funny to look back at the amount of pulp 1930s movies we got in the early to mid nineties. Dick Tracy, The Shadow, The Phantom, The Rocketeer, Talespin on the Disney Afternoon. Must have been a delayed reaction to Indiana Jones success in the 80s.

[@dariuschatman7906]

Love Your Videos. Keep Posting More!

[@airic21]

Such a great game really a shame this wasnt sega mini 2.... Thx for the review

[@PS4GamingGuy81]

The Genesis version of Dick Tracy is the best. Remember seeing the movie in the theater as a kid.

[@Greg_Games]

I really love this game. I discovered this in a emulator, and i fall in love.

[@UltimateGamerCC]

SEGA Channel is where my story differs, but definitely like it a lot.

[@Greg_Games]

@@UltimateGamerCC Sega Channel was awesome. Here in Brasil, we don't have contact with, unfortunately

[@UltimateGamerCC]

it really was, i feel saddened by those who never got to enjoy SC, as it was a hell of an experience.@@Greg_Games

[@SubieandFriends]

I love this channel…..even though I was more of a Nintendo kid growing up I still played some of the genesis games but even without playing most of them watching this channel makes me feel so good inside, this videos open up memory lane for me in such a good way

[@loutchi7981]

lot of adaptation of dick tracy in games were lame as on amstrad and nes but this one seem really great.I should do it one day.

[@davidt3563]

11:37 this time Dick is the one who took it to face!

[@jessehayes8052]

One of my favorite games and films of my childhood

[@thagrifster594]

I had this game and it was awesome! One of my favorites on Genesis.

[@yeahyeahwowman8099]

Dick Tracy is a fun playthrough, its no Sunset Riders, but its definitely fun.

[@ChannelCortez33]

Love the exclusive look reviews that you publish! Would like to see more, perhaps your favorite Phantasy Star game?

[@EriqOrtiz]

I remember playing this as a kid; I could never get past the third level, lol.

[@Pally356]

Very fair review. I loved this game as a kid (still do) but I definitely see the shortcomings of it. I guess that 5 months might have made them feel rushed with it (a fact I didn't know until now). I loved the soundtrack of the game (im a big fan of jazz, which I feel was how the soundtrack was inspired) so that was a big plus to me, and i'll still put on the soundtrack every now and then. And the small gameplay variety was nice too. Its a shame that it felt like it was kind of rushed, and it could have been a bit more. But as is, i still enjoy it. Its definitely a mileage may vary type of game, but for me, its a win.

[@chadappell2447]

Rental for me back then

[@tyneishalewis9917]

Great video! I haven't heard of this game. A few more months would have definitely made a difference. Dick Tracy looks like a good game and only need a bit more polish before release. The 1930s theme is fun/different and adds to the game's charm. Just imagine if this game got a remaster like Disney's Gargoyles game, with new/updated graphics, and fun stuff not included in the orginal!

[@Ghost-Chatting]

This game was exactly what I envisioned sega was at the time of release coming from a mostly arcade point of view, I had seen the advertising and really wanted to experience it but unfortunately it slipped under my radar at the time, I still boot it up once and a while but haven't invested any time into it but I may as well now thanks for the video SLX as a matter of fact just the other night I managed stage 7 on Streets of Rage 2 a game I thought I had played but obviously never passed the first level or two wow I sure missed out

[@HoorayTV21]

One of the BEST Genesis games especially considering its a movie tie in. A MUST own. I've been waiting for this video for a while.

[@kimlaw7862]

I didn't expect to see Joystick mag mentioned on this channel 😁

[@BigBoy-bx1dw]

I just wanted to give you a shout-out your one of a handful of channels that get me through the work day.

[@SegaLordX]

Glad to hear it. Hope I can continue to help.

[@idubzh243]

It's one of my favourite game on the system. Not a great game, but for sure an hidden gem. I discovered it via emulation circa 1999, the great debuts of emulation. I note that Mike Cerny was involved, impressive career this man has... While re-reading some months ago an old french computer magazine where he was credited as the coder of the month (Tilt n° 34 - september 1986) to the design of the PlayStation 5 ! I wish I had the same curricula vitae...

[@lazarushernandez5827]

It isn't bad considering the amount of time STI had to make it. It is a shame though, because Dick Tracy is known to have had certain gadgets that could have been worked into the game (nothing on the level of the likes of Batman, but could have added variety). There was potential for something more.

[@Dorelaxen]

It's an OK game overall (I really love the music, though), but it's leaps and bounds ahead of the NES version. I absolutely loathe that game.

[@philwalkercuriousmind]

I really like this game. Only came across it over the last few years. I consider it a bit of an underrated gem, especially as a movie based game too.

[@philwalkercuriousmind]

Interesting and fair point about the music.

[@tournaline3448]

Loved shooting the windows as a kid. Fun game.

[@scoobydoobydoo4880]

You guys should try the Master System version. One of the hardest games I've ever played.

[@hardcoreep]

❤ this game. Still play it to this day.

[@retrogamerdiaries]

Your channel is excellent and inspired me to start my own. Subscribed

[@Konuvis]

I had Dick Tracy on the GB but not on MD. I love the movie so I've often thought to pick it up but it seems like I might not like it as much as I'd want so I'm hesitant to spend $70+ to get it.

[@youretearingmeapartlisa5132]

Man.... over 150k subs. When I first starded watching your chanell it was like 40k, how time passes.

[@1ButtonDash]

I had this game. (well technically still do, it's in my basement in a tubaware container). For the time it was decent but yeah it was pretty basic. The graphics were the highlight of the game but I remember wishing it was more like the NES game. People crap on that NES title but it was cool lookin for clues and tryin to figure out who the suspect was. This you just walked right, it got kinda boring doing the same thing stage after stage.

[@krono5el]

Yes i always like the two planes to shoot on and the destructible environment always made me smile : D

[@Nintenboy01]

I remember seeing this in an old EGM Squared issue

[@JimmmyRaynor]

reminds me of rolling thunder 3, except primitive and with the background shooting option which is pretty cool

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

I never realize this game has never been part of any commercial Genesis Collections out there despite all this time which is a damn shame. Maybe it has to do with getting the licensing or likeness for Dick Tracy or something but I'm kinda shocked by any nitpicking with this game or that it didn't sell well. When I was a kid this game was everywhere in places like Toys R Us, Kaybee Toys, Software Etc and in almost every video rental place I frequented back then all the way up to seeing it in the late 90's bargain bin era. It was also mentioned a lot and praised by neighbors/classmates that were Genesis owners back then too. The common complaint was the difficulty spike after Stage 3 but people loved the graphics and jazzy music in the game. When I was a kid I would sometimes go to the Sound Test and play the Sewers theme while cleaning my room or doing math homework lol. 😄

[@Pomupomupurinstyle]

I love this game ! My childhood 😍

[@Raphael_De_La_Ghetto]

One of my faves for the ole Genesis!🎉

[@boarMcberry]

enjoyed this back in the day, even had some good replays on it. Do however agrees with majority of review here, especially soundtrack aspect. This game also reasons why I loved the movie, which I only had access to it few years later.

[@rhob2422]

Rented this in like 1992 with my sister, 1st rental ever. Hated it, I was like 8. Never revisited until now.

[@josheee6123]

One time I tripped really hard on DXM, and I seen a holographic comic book page as the big as the room I was in, and thousands of tiny little Dick Tracey's, pulled out their revolver and jumped out of the page it was tremendous 😅