Forgotten Games: Star Cruiser - Segadrunk

[@Shinmsl]

This is exactly the sort of game they should have ported to the sega cd so it could be released outside japan and have a bit of extra power on their side.

[@despair333]

Exactly

[@fiskburk2908]

@Michael that was the future 🤣🤣

[@bennett420316]

Power Rangers on SegaCD made me want to hunt the developers down and make them play it. Dracula wasn't too bad though, Spider-Man too

[@clarafedde8674]

Honestly seeing as how fans been turning games like final fight on the original megadrive plays better than cd version. Heck even doom 32x fan upgrade is awesomer than official release. Hope they give this game the same treatment as clunky games are better than before. I mean race drivin got a sa-1 upgrade and it's frame rate is no longer 1 frame per hour. Not a good game, but actually playable now.

[@zanegandini5350]

Actually I think it would be even better as a 32x game. The Sega CD certainly made 2D sprite scaling much easier than the Genesis alone, but the 32x was very capable of pushing flat-shaded polygons like this. Shadow Squadron, Virtua Racing Deluxe, and Virtua Fighter all had a very steady framerate and looked way more impressive than anything the Genesis could do with polygons, even with the SVP chip that Virtua Racing used.

[@apollolux]

The character portrait art looks to be a similar style to Phantasy Star II & III's, might even be the same guy; groovy!

[@laughingseal2282]

Pretty impressive game for 1990, holy shit. Years before Star Fox and wolfenstein

[@acomingextinction]

It looks waaaaay ahead of its time in both graphics and game design.

[@QuwehShunMark]

What a gem. The backlog seems eternal at times and yet in it goes.

[@baustin1215]

Duuuuuude, that main theme music is absolutely fantastic. Crank that shit in the car driving through the city at night, it feels like you're in some kind of 80's cyberpunk situation.

[@KentStJohn-vn6bq]

Wasn’t expecting the Gibson guitar joke. C- for humor. A+ for unexpectedness.

[@JamieBainbridge]

This is incredible for the Mega Drive. It looks way more playable than dedicated FPS like Zero Tolerance and it adds visual novel scenes like Snatcher, 3D flight like Wing Commander, and space navigation! So many other games would do none of these well but this looks very serviceable.

[@MaidenHell1977]

I always play any game with the mindset of the time it was released in, so modern takes and contexts never play into my gaming experience. The game does indeed look and sound fabulous! Thanks for the video!

[@starlightrevenant]

This game is originally by Arsys Software, btw. Actually the MD version of Star Cruiser was going to be released in the West under the name Star Quest by Namco, mentioned in an EGM issue from 1991. Also, there is translation patch for the X68000 version of Star Cruiser, also done by Nebulous as well.

[@Dark.Shingo]

@@DemuDesu and now I'm curious. Gotta try it.

[@jong2359]

I was typing a comment asking if anyone happened to know this info when I glanced down. Thank you.

[@summerlaverdure]

@@DemuDesu maybe Basement Brothers could talk about it

[@danmakuman]

@@DemuDesu Well, that doesn't mean he can't talk about the MD port. After all even the translator also spend their time making the english patch for that version which means they also wanted people to experience it. Even if there's a definitive version of every game some people wanna see the other versions, the MD port is more easy to just put the rom on a flash card and play it than the X68000 one. All options are valid :)

[@msk33]

Pc-8801 has the best musics (soundboard 2) and is my favorite. I own all the versions of this game. Love it.

[@goranisacson2502]

Man, this game is incredibly ambitious for its time. All the dialogue and the first person perspective, especially when the SNES wasn't even out... I suppose it was probably too big with too much text to ever be fit into a cartridge even if it HAD been translated, so we would probably never have gotten this if not for the modern methods of the present, which allows us to play games Any Way We Can.

[@bes03c]

Looks like a game I would never play, but enjoy watching a KZbin video about it.

[@danbauer3669]

I don't care what you're covering, this channel is always good and fun and informative! Keep it up!

[@bigduke5902]

This looks so incredible that people who take Star Fox for granted will most certainly be pretending to prefer it now that you did this video for years to come.

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

Man, I can imagine that 1990 this game would have been the greatest game in the world.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

Considering this was running on the Genesis/Mega drive well before Starfox and it wasn't using any special FX chips or anything it's really impressive. Of course the 3D doesn't really hold up 30 years later but considering the time it existed in it was a technological marvel.

[@CypressDahlia]

could have been a Nintendo killer, NGL

[@とふこ]

Imagine when people in Europe playing commodore 64 games in 1988, PC-88 owners in Japan played this game.

[@Chillrah]

Starfox Stan?! I love that guy!!

[@wesleymatthews6409]

The fact that they accomplished what they did during the time frame they did it in cannot be praised enough contextually.... I admire the audacity they possessed just as much as I do the talent it took to pull this kind of game off in the late 80'-early 90's...

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Way ahead of its time

[@moverofobjects]

this is becoming one of my favorite channels (along with segalordx!)

[@reinatycoon3644]

Wow this game looks amazing! As a lover of Star Fox, tech themed games, mecha good plots and character development and rpgs this is right up my ally. Thanks for the informative video SNESDrunk!

[@opaljk4835]

The characters and menu/text reminds me a lot of phantasy star 2

[@yeethuus7009]

And the music is reminiscent of PS4

[@CLAPTONGIRLSTECHNO]

Thank you SNES drunk for another highly informative and entertaining review. Much appreciated and enjoyed :)

[@dr.hawkinsmax6623]

Anything that played like "Starfox" for the Snes I wanted more of, but never was able to find it, and this is a perfect example of what I was looking for as a kid, thank you so much Drunk, for finding yet another gem for me to enjoy. 😀

[@thewingedavenger1007]

This has to be one of the best hidden gems on Earth!

[@kennethchia4194]

Wow, this looks incredible for the Mega Drive.

[@AndyDo]

I tried this out last night. It's AWESOME! I mean, I think I would have hated it as a kid, but now ...serve it up!

[@josearodas3124]

This look like a really awesome game. Thanks for sharing!

[@ggbetz]

Visuals A+.

[@heckensteiner4713]

Holy frick this looks amazing! I absolutely love Star Control 2, and this seems fairly similar but from a first person perspective. Can't wait to try it out!

[@ats2099]

It's impressive to see, especially for the time it was released. I played games on the Atari Jaguar that tried to do this stuff years later with an (allegedly) more advanced hardware that failed at what this game succeeded at

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

The Jaguar's far more advanced. Even the 68000 boot-up chip alone is running at a faster clockspeed than the Genesis...or even the Sega CD. You aren't running that port of Doom on original Megadrive hardware, much less something like Skyhammer. Unfortunately, third parties weren't given much help to develop for the platform, and most people knew Jack and Sam weren't to be trusted in the first place.

[@nugboy420]

Ok I was gonna point out the 1998 there too glad you noticed it in the description :)😊

[@andersdenkend]

Yes, man. This soundtrack! I never played the game and bought a 2CD Soundtrack set on a whim and hot damn is it a blast! Check out the original X68k music as well. Absolutely gorgeous.

[@blacksunshine7485]

The x6000 has some great soundtracks. The audio really pops from that system.

[@PhazonOmega]

This game answers the question "What if Star Fox 2 was also a first person RPG?"

[@TheVileOne]

Another reason I love this channel. Games I've forgotten or never heard about.

[@TheDorkKnight5419]

This massive sprawling RPG with aliens and space battles and you play as BRIAN....that's perfect

[@abcmaya]

That's blast processing right there.

[@cinnamondan4984]

Awesome choice of game for review

[@felipejanuariodeoliveira3185]

The perfect video for my breakfast. Keep up the good work!

[@raddastronaut]

This game is top quality for 93 pc. Let alone 88. Most games were no where near this even on pc. But I haven’t played it. Just on what I see here.

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

Thanks, I've never heard of it. This is right up my alley. I love any old game that tried to bring a 3d world to life

[@Spidernick88]

This looks amazing!

[@lvx_rose]

This looks amazing 🤩

[@rpgfoods1457]

I have to play this now !

[@alecciarosewater7438]

This could have been one of the Mega Drive's defining games if the publisher wasn't incompetent With a touch-up this could be modestly successful on steam; all it needs is a consistent framerate and a rework of space combat

[@isodoubIet]

I dig the visuals

[@lhfirex]

This looks like a real hidden gem, like a few famicom RPGs I played recently that also got fan translations: Lagrange Point, Radia Senki, and Just Breed.

[@MH-dt4ib]

Just Breed is awesome! Radia was really good too. I'll have to check out Lagrange Point, thanks for the list!

[@tarquinnff3]

That music is slick.

[@deatheven13]

The first person mode made me think of Zero Tolerance which is pretty primitive but I think it was the first FPS I ever played on a console (maybe Faceball but that's kinda yeeeech). I did not expect the space stuff.

[@gjergjaurelius9798]

I just bought zero tolerance on xbox! 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤣🤟🏻💯

[@Pweh989]

Great video, I love learning about obscure games I wouldn't have otherwise known about (even if it needs an English patch). It's hard to gauge what would have worked in the market back then for video games in America, but stuff like this makes me wonder what else was missed out on by American audiences.

[@jonbourgoin182]

Damn do I love that twangy Genesis music

[@justusbowman]

Wow. I'm so glad you loved this one too! Beautiful game. It really surprised me to find an experience like this on an old console. Being able to strafe during real-time, first-person combat was quite something as well. I believe the OG version had instanced combat instead, which is understandable, but makes the MD version even more impressive for a pre-W3D FPS.

[@seanwilkinson7431]

Just the idea of a meta training level is cool. Regardless of how original the idea is, that's what grabbed me in this video.

[@icollectstories5702]

Enemies remind me of BattleZone, or more specifically, Stellar 7. Stellar 7 was more about moving and shooting and less about story. Back then, vehicles were fixed polyhedra, so everything floated and slid.

[@chaospoet]

If this had come out here in the states, I would have played the F out of it.

[@Hanokaze]

This is something I would have guaranteed love as a kid. Will it hold up for me now? Well, there's only one way to find out... definitely going on my list to check out.

[@BabusGameRoom]

Holy crap! Wow!

[@CoolAndNormal]

All music from the game in this video? holy smokes

[@DJKennethA]

The combat in this sort of reminds me of the first person sections of "Cosmo Tank" on the gameboy.

[@mr.johnson7424]

This reminds me of I think it was called Super Maze Wars. Used to play that game during after school clubs on an ancient Mac. That and Peg leg and zoombeenies.

[@KaskelotenZebbe]

I love this game! It's so immersive, fun to explore, well written dialogue, has an intriguing story, catchy music. It would have been a great game without the 3D visuals, but with them it's just top notch!

[@not2tired]

Star Fox and Wolf 3D had a baby before either of them were born

[@justusbowman]

Haha. Great description.

[@Justforvisit]

"No Man's Sky - 1988 Edition" :D

[@chewgokugin]

This needs a remaster

[@skarmachild]

I played this a little bit but i didnt realise how epic and huge it was. So cooool :D

[@williamoverton7775]

Another genesis game you should review is starflight it was a pc port that blew me away. We could all use a modern remake ah'la Kerbal space program. Maybe simplified

[@jamillie87]

Miss this game

[@svankensen]

Always good to start work and find one of your videos when I need a break

[@Fretlessness]

A Starf Ox game with this much story would be awesome

[@captaindrachma2041]

"No, not that Gibson" got me good

[@Hektols]

It would be great if they made an enhanced version of the game that still would work in the Megadrive's hardware, or a modern remake.

[@RetroPiero]

I'm still surprise a bloody English translation patch was finally made for this not that long ago. The opening is that of a movie sequence.

[@DaveFu]

SNES Drunk covering Sega games.....What's next, Sega Lord X talking about the SNES? Way to overcome your branding!

[@carn9507]

When you say "not that Gibson" I actually expected Mel Gibson to pop up rather than the guitar. Being that it's 80s and Mel Gibson was popular in Japan. Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star is basically Mad Max on steroids.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

What an interesting game! I can see why it never came out in English, but man what if it had? I bet it'd be a huge cult favourite today.

[@hungryspleen5585]

Game looks awesome, reminds me of my favorite video game ever, Protostar on PC. I'll be trying this out for sure!

[@hexkex750]

I read somewhere that it actually WAS localized. Almost. The translation was 100% done and apparently even cartridges were produced, but none have seen the light of day,

[@gpl992]

Its available on Etsy in English on an original Genesis Cartridge 😊

[@silvermknight]

This reminds me of the Star Trek game that was released on the Genesis.

[@pablofmc]

Wow it looks really good. Im going to have to try this one

[@EduSolsa]

Gosh, every video is a new discovery! It looks fun, but alsohard to play nowadays.

[@kinorai]

Gosh I was hoping that there was a translation patch for this game!! Thank you for the review! Can't wait to finally play this game - and not simply dabble for 5 minutes until I'm stuck because of the language barrier!

[@bigbeeftomatoes]

hell yeah, you’ve been on a roll with new videos. may as well just review every snes/gensis game at this point ;)

[@WhispyWoods.]

What an ambitious game 👍

[@JH-so5kt]

Hello there, love the channel and your reviews. I would love if you reviewed every sports/wrestling game for the NES and Genesis. The SNES reviews were fantastic. (I didn't know the proper place to ask that question)

[@mattb6522]

Nice video! It is a shame it was never localized for North American audiences back then! Yes, it is dated graphically, but the game still looks like it has a lot to offer in the gameplay department. It is amazing they were even able to pull some of this off on the Genesis/MegaDrive. I'm curious if they used a special chip in this cartridge like they did with the SuperFX chip for games like Star Fox on the SNES.

[@joesshows6793]

Wow that’s crazy interesting for the times

[@vintagepennies6899]

I would love s Snesdrunk and Sega lord x podcast or colab episodes.

[@WalrusFPGA]

Mr. Drunk, please give Geograph Seal on x68000 a try when you have a chance. As someone who appreciates Star Fox I think you'll highly enjoy it. Theres a video for it in my x68000 playlist if you want to check it out first before committing to setting up the x68000 environment. With MiSTer and some handy hard drive images, its actually quite easy.

[@Davtwan]

Another game for the backlog. Thanks, Drunk!

[@drgribb]

Holdup, when did this get an English patch??? Thanks for bringing that to my attention, and thanks to all involved with the fan translations! Not sure if I'd already seen the x68k version before, but the music for most x68k games slaps pretty hard, and that's probably the definitive version music-wise. "Gibson" is probably a reference to William Gibson, a la the movie Hackers.

[@justusbowman]

2016 for the fan translation, I believe. Amazing music on a 1990 MD game is nowhere near a given. Partially why it’s extra noteworthy.

[@bakuiel1901]

Looks cool to me, reminds me of Stellar 7 turned into a RPG

[@emaheiwa8174]

Needs a remake with the same graphics but better framerate and loose controls

[@roberto1519]

There are other 80's Japanese computer games ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis, such as the New 3D Golf Simulation series, which also rely heavily on dithering, depending on how you play them, if keeping their raw pixels look, it can impact impressions on the game negatively, but if using a proper shader which will blend dithering patters and basically giving them the dev intended gradient look, the whole experience will be much nicer. So I really recomend giving this a try, the first emulator that comes to mind is Retroarch, but maybe standalones could do that too.

[@DeathsNitemareShepardOfHope]

Damn. It sounds like if they had crammed anything else into the game the cartridge would've started melting towards the end of a full playthrough. 😄👍

[@travisshallenberger9486]

I want to say it's not my cup of tea, but I'm pretty sure way back then I would have flipped over this. But either way, that soundtrack is top notch!

[@ruxcooking]

Wow. This game and Starflight make me think I really missed out not owning a Genesis.

[@JazGalaxy]

Well, as he said, it was only released for the mega drive in Japan. So you never would have played it on a “.genesis”.

[@ruxcooking]

@@JazGalaxy D'oh

[@ruckdog]

Looks like I found another game to play on my Steam Deck!

[@EvilHienSan]

This game needs a remake......badly.

[@sandakureva]

One thing that comes to mind is the music. Normally, Genesis music isn't very good, but this is excellent.

[@thegreathadoken6808]

I expect running on an emulator and playing with the emulated CPU running at 200% will make this even better, but you may mention that in the video, I haven't seen it the whole way through, yet.

[@beebopcola]

Had I known about this (or had a genesis) at the time I would have been all over this. Looking back though I just can't get past the frame rate and Magic Eye poster textures. A shame sega never remastered it for one of the many peripherals the genesis had.

[@jasonz7788]

Great work Sir thank you