Vectorman - Sega Genesis Review

Was Vectorman a bona fide classic or just a late cash grab by Sega to sell some software to desperate Genesis owners?
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Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.
Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.
SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
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Intro by Evan S.
portfolio.tsestudios.com/
Episode Notes:
1. Captured on the Mega SG.
2. The Vectorman games have been reissued on numerous collection discs by Sega for console and PC. The most recent Sega Genesis Classics has them both. Sega also put them on their Genesis Mini line.
3. This game was just begging for Sega to make a 2.5D part 3 for the Saturn. I mean the hardware was made for the kind of effects you'd want in these environments.
4. Vectorman has a remixed soundtrack out there with higher quality tunes. It's pretty good.
5. Be sure to play this on easy if you are a newbie. You get more life and time to learn the level layouts.
6. Don't underestimate your blast jump(double jump). It's actually quite an effective move.

[@timfeller5976]

The OST of this game is legendary in my humble opinion. Awesome mid 90's GROOVES.

[@Jinx_Skeel]

imagine how good they would not turn out to be if they had invested a little more and put some real soundchip to work on the compositions

[@Imgema]

There's actually a CD soundtrack for this, with "proper" high quality samples. But it's also a bit different at the same time. It's similar to the Comix Zone CD soundtrack that had real guitars but it was also a bit different. In the end, i prefer the Genesis compositions in both games. Go figure.

[@nightshadehelis9821]

The bosses in this game always blew my mind. The train one was incredible. There wasn't anything like this game at the time.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

The Train boss was great they should have made a whole level out of that graphic scheme but the other bosses seemed pretty lame until the final one

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

I’ll never forget my mom taking me to the grocery store and me seeing this game advertised on the back of a lunchables box. I thought for sure I would win that Genesis and the game. Nowadays, I don’t dare play the lottery. It was a valuable lesson.

[@gabnrami]

Nice lesson sponsored for you by SEGA

[@SunChipss]

@@gabnrami *sponsored lol

[@zaturnneo]

I have won more stuff than kid me could ever imagine, just from entering the drawing. Look at it like Mrs Frizzle. You fail 100% of the things you don't try.

[@Digiflower5]

Well said, Pokemon taught me the same with the game corner.

[@zackwaffen9210]

Can't win without a ticket mate. My cousin's wife's mother (lol) she won 60 mill

[@johnathanstevens8436]

Playing this at Toys R Us convinced me I needed to buy a Genesis. Luckily by that time I was able to get a console used and games were less expensive.

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Yeah. By then you could get a brand new 16-bit console for song.

[@spiderjerusalemOX]

So pleased to see Vectorman get some love. This game and its sequel are absolute gems. I remember playing it at the time and being blown away by the action, the lighting and the animation. It’s such a slick game, but you’re right that it shouldn’t be approached like a run’n’gun. Like other games around the same time, it was criminally forgotten simply because the Genesis/MD was already being superseded by the Saturn, when this proves it still had plenty of legs. At least Sega has made up for some of it by including Vectorman 1 and 2 in the Mini consoles.

[@mikesannitti6042]

I loved vectorman 1 but i got stuck almost immediately in a "where the hell do i go?" situation in vectorman 2.

[@spiderjerusalemOX]

@@mikesannitti6042 Sorry to hear that. I found it more accessible, but that may have been because I was scarred by the difficulty in V1. I mean, that first boss fight… Ouch.

[@inputfunny]

@@spiderjerusalemOX The first boss in Vectorman 1 is extremely easy. What did you have a problem with?

[@spiderjerusalemOX]

@@inputfunny, just the fact that you’re restricted to a single screen, the boss moves around a lot (and fast) and you have to keep dodging and shooting up. That, combined with just having your standard pea shooter, meant it took a long time to land any hits. Don’t get me wrong: I did eventually beat it, but I found it a pretty tough fight for a fist boss, especially compared to the other bosses in the game and the fact that the first level itself isn’t that hard.

[@MH-ye1ku]

Was a Genesis kid and absolutely loved Vectorman. The kinda adoration for a game where you go through the sound test one by one and watch ALL the credits. IMO the levels in this game are VERY well designed and just the right length, which is something a lot of platformers on the Genesis get wrong. The jumping is very tight and the shooting action from your finger pressing the button to Vectorman firing feels 100% flawless. It even has an incredible soundtrack. The visuals are simply brilliant with dozens of nice visual touches in each level. Easily a 9/10 for me.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Vectorman is cooler than Donkey Kong Country but the bosses mostly suck and it didnt reach its full potential. Then the same can be said about 99% of all games I feel Vectorman had the right idea and kinda fell short

[@krono5el]

Was there day one and it def blew my away, the lighting, the effects, the way it felt when you shoot down while falling with each shot kinda slowed the fall was wild back then. anything that felt like it had physics back then always impressed me : D

[@mrnicktoyou]

Those clouds scrolling so smoothly in the background look amazing.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Theres a lightning effect in the later level thats just a color-cycling in the background but it looks killer the Final boss is the most impressive thing on the Genesis Ive seen

[@Darkmage1293]

ESWAT, Ecco, Sonic, Vectorman, Comix Zone, Contra....I love the Genesis library I had. But man, Vectorman just had a brilliance to it, unique to itself.

[@shuruff904]

Gunstar Heroes. Never forget....

[@northprime_unlimited]

Good memories from this game. I wish they would’ve kept the franchise going into the Saturn or Dreamcast. Very unique concept.

[@maroon9273]

Alongside ristar and comix zone

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

Sega was supposed to take every ip into the Dreamcast era full blast out the gate .! Seeing things like Ecco & sonic And their 2k games made genesis gamers come back.! They shouldn’t have killed the genesis controller design . They should have thought of the dc as the genesis 2

[@filipmartinez1162]

@@48hourrecordsteam45 THIS

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Its still worth playing thru every now and then at least until the Lightning level which looks fuckin awesome

[@davidt3563]

This is one of those games that I missed because I had a paper route at the time. I rocked that route and made TONS in tips, so I played tons of 3dfx games on my comp and my Saturn & Playstation. I didn't pick up Vector Man because "it was beneath me" as most of us were during the 16bit to 32bit era. I still think about this game and it still deserves a playthrough for me!

[@Imgema]

This late Mega Drive era was my favorite. Vectorman, Comix Zone and EWJ2, along with Yoshi's Story and DKC2 on SNES was the peak of 16bit era for me. Kept me busy until the N64 finally launched in Europe.

[@mattb6522]

1995 was a great year for 16-bit owners, that's for sure!

[@lucag.lisickza425]

comix zone was out of the mind for me as a kid back in the 90s

[@maroon9273]

Genesis did all of those graphics effects with out sega cd and 32x. I wish sega would've focused on better genesis software a year earlier.

[@mattb6522]

@@maroon9273 Yeah, some developers did some amazing graphical feats with the Genesis hardware during the late cycle of the system. Sega made plenty of questionable business decisions during the 90s.

[@penguinreloaded7756]

​@@mattb6522I had my Genesis and SNES... but most of my gaming money was being saved for the Playstation & Saturn. Had a separate bank account awaiting the N64. Chrono Trigger, Front Mission, Lufia 2 for 16 bit games. I borrowed Vectorman and it was a decent game, but the Genesis didn't get any of my money that year. The Sega CD was dead and I knew better than to blow money on the 32X. I went nuts on Saturn and Playstation games, though.

[@cjmarsh504]

This was one of my favorite games on the Sega Genesis

[@black2785]

The first time I saw Vector Man was at the DisneyWorlds Tomorrow land Sega Building where there where like 100 Sega Genesis consoles for everyone to play and I remember seeing vector man thinking it was a PC or PS1 game

[@alex64gaming]

Same dude! I was there in 94 or 95 somewhere around there

[@SataniaMcDowel]

Awesome experience there!

[@quarterburnt]

That Sega building was like a dream come true. I’m not sure what year it was but they had a bunch of Saturn games and I was blown away by Panzer Dragoon. Not a demo, no line, and no time limit. It was amazing.

[@jeffm5056]

It's kinda funny to have names like Raster and Vectorman, knowing those were two types of arcade monitors from the 70's and 80's. I was impressed with Vectorman back in the day, but never stuck with it long enough to beat it. Nice review as usual, SLX!

[@Yuuretsu]

This is one of the games games I played on the Genesis collection for PS3 that eventually turned me into a fan of the system. What helps the ost tremendously is the expertly utilized stereo splitting to achieve an almost surround like quality to it. The sequel is also solid but definitely doesn't make the same kind of impressions even if there is less slowdown overall.

[@lucag.lisickza425]

i have that collection,great stuff

[@billcook4768]

Never played it back during the Genesis era, but Sega really like to include vector man on various compilations

[@talen8152]

You know this would have been a great game series on the Saturn. Would have loved to have seen a 32 bit outing.

[@Planag7]

Heck yeah. In my mind there were two more games made... Oh well

[@highheatbeats2091]

I was playing this on the sega genesis collection earlier and had the exact same thought

[@mrnicktoyou]

They would have tried to make it in 3D.

[@Supersayainpikmin]

I always thought it was weird how Shining Wisdom was moved from the Genesis to the Saturn but not Vectorman 2. Should have been the other way around, if you ask me.

[@Vulpas]

Coulda swore Vectorman or Vectorman 2 had a Saturn port, or maybe 32x/CD?

[@MarMaxGaming]

7:35 this really got me thinking… you’re so right. What if we saw a bunch of beefed up franchises with this type of Genesis power? Would’ve been amazing

[@Vulpas]

The problem is Vectorman takes up too much of the screen and is too close to the center. Zoom the camera out and position him further back, then the game could be good, especially if the enemies take one less hit to die and the time limit gets a bump up. As it is, I think it's playable but a remaster could really fix it.

[@kubev]

I think a widescreen mod for this would suffice. Vectorman has one of the best "cameras" in the genre. I admit they could've scaled the sprites down a bit, but the way the camera reacts based on where Vectorman is looking makes it work well for what it is. Other games try this but don't execute it nearly as well, let alone without making you sick.

[@crunchinjelly]

Agree. Unfortunately this game is a product of the time where everyone wanted chunky, detailed sprites. Obviously if they ‘zoomed out’ that left few pixels for everything and therefore loses detail.

[@Psmgamer]

I think for me is not being able to see enemies which definitely lead to me dying till you go to the next screen. Like you said had the camera not been zoomed close to Vectorman and pushed back it would be better.

[@tf1090c]

I felt the same way, it's still a great game though. Maybe the developers wanted us to play it slowly, look around & find the best way to approach enemies. That being said, accidentally running into those flying things b/c you can't see them in time can be frustrating lol, still I'd say 8.5/10.

[@ender6747]

It was not as stunning as Donkey Kong in terms of visuals and soundtrack, but still amazing for the Mega Drive. Very challenging game though!

[@ender6747]

@@GenesisDoes DK on SNES were one of the best series on the platform. Check the reviews. I personally love the three 16 bit games.

[@VDViktor]

Vectorman was the first game in my life that i have beaten from start to finish, when i was 7. Cause when i was a kid, playtime was limited, and there was no saving progress, obviously. Boy, was i proud when later i also found out that Vectorman is considered a quite difficult game

[@Antonio_Ortiz]

Still haven't beaten it nearly 30 years later.

[@Mr_x_19922]

Play time limited? I think that as kids we had more time than now as adults, huge difference is the fact that we know really understand the games we play

[@imbased7784]

I could never get passed the last level. Came close every time, but just couldn't quite beat Warhead.

[@seedofwonder]

Finished it once and never found the self-motivation to try again. But yeah, sense of accomplishment. Mind you I beat Ecco within a week when I was 12 and that series has a reputation for difficulty also. I guess our reflexes are faster when we're young.

[@ainnocent]

@@Mr_x_19922 not going to say it's Mayhems experience, but as a kid my time was limited. I could not play more than a few hours at a time on weekends and almost no time at all on schoolnights. I had to get up super early and get a quick half hour before anyone woke up. Needless to say I mastered so many first levels of games lol

[@theonetrueKM]

Vectorman and Vectorman 2 are my favorite games along the Streets of rage 2 absolute classics.

[@duckpwnd]

When I was a kid, I was very fortunate to have both an SNES and Genesis. I played both Vectorman and DK Country. There's no doubt that Vectorman was an impressive game at the time, but Donkey Kong Country was one of those "Wow, I can't believe what I'm seeing." type situations. The only other comparable situations I can remember were the first time I saw/played Mario 64 at a demo kiosk in a Walmart, and then playing Rogue Leader for the first time years later on Gamecube (though I'm probably biased on that one because I loved the original Star Wars Trilogy).

[@duckpwnd]

​@@GenesisDoes That quote from Miyamoto was hasn't been verified. In an interview with IGN, Miyamoto himself said that he liked DKC and he's not sure how that rumor came about.

[@Rhodes84]

I remember renting this at Family Video the day it came out, along with Beavis and Butt-Head. Me and my brother sure had fun taking turns, Oh the nostalgia.

[@justapeasant8949]

I got fond memories with this title. The devil is in the details. Notice how Vectorman's orbs are changin hues. There are light and shadow effects casting on the sprites. My complaint is that developers tried to disguise recycling assets of the level graphics with different lightning & hue. Overall, not a good game as Rare's Donkey Kong Country, it was Mega Drive's must try in '95. The thing I remember with this title is on the back of the cart case it reads "certain copies of this game contains a code after completion. If the code is displayed, then call this number & win yourself a free Sega Saturn!"🏆 Did anyone seen this code & got their Saturn? I would like to know. Cheers!🥂

[@ngram4536]

"Don't expect another run & gun" That's exactly what I thought it was when I first picked it up. Once you play it right, you can see why this is a classic. Great review.

[@lactobacillusprime]

A game that really did take advantage of the technical capabilities of the Genesis/Megadrive - and it is a good platformer with nice powerups and weapons. I found the explosions always very satisfying. The lower colour palette compared to the Snes always made the games on the Genesis/Megadrive look al a little more drab. But they did make excellent use of the 61 (I believe) colours on screen simultaneously the Genesis/Megadrive was capable of. And the FM-Music is above the many other games on the platform that used a bland sound engine that did not take advantage of what the sound chips were capable of.

[@deepstothepeeps]

Vectorman was one of those games that I never owned, but rented multiple times. It was one of the few Genesis games that got a Sega Tunes CD release. I'm surprised you didn't pick Oshin Thing (the song from stage 3) as one of the songs to give a listen to, SLX. It's so iconic, at least to me, but to each their own! If I had one criticism of the game it would be that the power-ups that turned Vectorman into different things (bomb, car, drill, etc.) seemed kind of half-baked. Many of those transformations were used to unlock secrets, like blowing up a wall, and when you didn't do it ('cause you didn't know where the secret was), it felt bad. Cool in concept, though.

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

I loved Vectorman so much as teenager that a few years later after it was released and the Sega Genesis was being phased out in favor for the Saturn and Playstation, I found Ex-Mutants and this game in box with manual and shrink wrapped in a bargain bin at Electronics Boutique for $7.99 each at the time which was a steal. While a lot of the later Genesis releases haven't aged well due to the excessive amount of dithering developers relied on to push the illusion of extra colors as mentioned in the video, this game also took advantage of the shadow effects in the VDP and shows off tons of jaw dropping effects which made it feel like a 32-Bit game even though it was still only 16-Bit. Even after I got the Sega Dreamcast on launch day with Soul Calibur which was insane back then...I still would fire up my Genesis to play this game. As many times as Sega has re-released this game I can't understand for the life of me why Sega hasn't attempted to remake or do a modern sequel to this.

[@lucag.lisickza425]

yeah i remember buying lots of genesis games in the early ps2 times, boxed with manuals and everything for like 2 euros ea

[@Psmgamer]

I don't think Vectorman is popular enough to return same with other Sega IPs like Comic Zone.

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

@@Psmgamer I dunno if I'd go that far in believing that. I mean if we're talking about The Ooze which came out the same year then fine but Vectorman was massive in 95-96 and sold very well despite being a Western-only release. Even though the Megadrive was virtually dead by then in Japan it was also released there to which it had lukewarm to moderate success. I really can't think of any other way for comparison sake other than that and Vectorman had a lot more magazine coverage at the time.

[@Psmgamer]

@@thedrunkmonkshow I remember Vectorman at Target where I first played it and immediately wanted it. What's funny is everytime I would go to Target, the game would be sold out. I ended up finding it at Hollywood Video for $20 sealed as they would sell videogames for $20.

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

@@Psmgamer Hollywood Video!! I haven't heard about that store in so long lol. I remember for a while there they were kicking Blockbuster's ass then all of a sudden things like Netflix and especially RedBox out-routed and destroyed them into irrelevancy rather quickly. I'm glad people like AVGN invested the time and money to recreate the video rental environment because when I tried to explain it to my kids they couldn't grasp how or why it was so good back then. They were really shocked at how some rental places would charge you if the VHS tape wasn't fully rewound to the beginning.

[@Bant_Panorama]

Thanks for for covering this, been playing it for over 20 years and I still marvel at the presentation of it.

[@stabinghobo57]

Seeing this game advertised so much on school lunchables as a kid, I was so hyped for Vectorman.

[@AfroRyan]

With games like Vectorman and Comix Zone, not to mention every Tommy Tallarico composed game, GEMS can be very good, but people were generally lazy using it. It really is a shame, since it could produce such interesting techno-sounds.

[@aceshighdueceslow]

I often wonder if it was laziness or just unfamiliarity with the tech, especially for a lot of releases outside of Japan. Not saying that that was always the case but when I think of early Genesis games with awesome music, they tend to be things like Sonic, SoR, any Shining entry, etc. It seemed to me that games developed outside Japan didn't have "good" music until later in the console's run in '93

[@ExtremeWreck]

@@aceshighdueceslow I can definitely say a mix of unfamiliarity, time crunches & sometimes laziness, not to mention when it came to Western developers, music was *less* of a priority than when it came to the Japanese developers. Like we're lucky we have people like Jeroen Tel, Tommy Tallarico, Matt Furniss, the guy who composed the music in the Genesis version of Boxing Legends of the Ring, etc.

[@tripdefect87]

I remember buying this at outlet mall Kaybee around 98 or 99 and being absolutely enthralled by it. I think what stood out to me the most was the music and gameplay. I maybe had a handful of Genesis games growing up (most of them on my 6-Pak cart that came with my console) and played it mostly like I would have Revenge Of Shinobi as I wasn't too familiar with run and guns outside of Earthworm Jim and Jazz Jackrabbit

[@kubev]

I think the comparisons between this and Donkey Kong Country can make a lot of sense, but a lot of people get the wrong message. Both this and Donkey Kong County were really refined takes on their respective genres wrapped up in flashy packages. Vectorman makes a lot of nice little improvements to the run-n-gun formula. As you mentioned, the double jump acts as a weapon. You can slow your descent when falling by shooting downward, allowing you to more thoroughly explore some areas. Fighting on uneven surfaces is streamlined by Vectorman's shots matching the angle of the platform he's crouching on. The multiplier system allows you to multiply anything you collect (aside from weapons) but with a time limit, so it's always in your best interest to think before picking up a lower multiplier if you still have time remaining on a higher one, as that could make the difference between going into a boss battle with full health or very little health, not to mention how it lets you get more lives and lets you collect "all" the photons in a level without actually having to collect all of the photons in a level for a bonus. It's all so well thought out. Plus, the graphics in general are incredible, and some of the background visuals are even better. The music is great, as well. Very solid game. One thing I don't think gets nearly enough appreciation in Vectorman is the water levels. There're only two of them, if I remember correctly, but I love how they change the feel of the game while not imposing any dumb drowning penalties on players. The verticality in the second water alone really makes it feel different when you add the altered movement physics for underwater segments, and I love how you can choose to explore more thoroughly but more slowly or just blast your way right up to the surface with some fish morphs. I really didn't care for the sequel, as I think they tried to make Vectorman a bit more serious personality-wise, and the enemies in the sequel take WAY too much damage before they're defeated. It just feels like a slog compared to the original.

[@Bloody-Butterfly]

Impressive observations! Your analytical mind and your love for retro gaming is obvious.

[@philmason9653]

Hope you've got a Vectorman 2 review in the pipes. I never really got to spend much time with that one.

[@madmacabre]

PLEASE Review Vectorman 2. Its a fantastic game that no one talks about!

[@Retrosys]

This was actually the game that made me want to buy a Genesis. I had a Turbografx and a Game Boy at the time. The marketing really got me for this game for some reason. I kept asking for a Genesis for Christmas the next couple years, eventually I just bought a PlayStation instead.

[@mattb6522]

Good review! I remember when I first rented this game and it absolutely blew me away! I loved everything about it even if I couldn't beat it back then. Many years later, I picked up a full copy and it still remains one of my favorite action games on the Genesis. Though, its sequel to me felt fairly mediocre by comparison. It is a crying shame Sega rarely revisits their old franchises (except Sonic) as I would have loved to see Vectorman continue into the modern gaming era.

[@Patsfan1987]

The amount of hours we put into this game back in the day was ridiculous!!! Always loved Vectorman so damn much

[@SweatyCowch]

I've got a lot of nostalgia for this one. On the top of our Christmas list each year was the newest Genesis exclusives, and Vectorman saw lots of play time in our system. You're right that it took us a while before we relaxed and stopped trying to rush through and hitting a game over a few levels in, or on that first boss. We were amazed by how much of the stages we were missing.

[@COIFISHGAMING]

I did a head to head remoteplay battle with another streamer of this game, I had NEVER played it. Let's just say it was a phenomenal time and one of the best memories on my channel. Me and him are now great friends.

[@neilthomas8070]

One of my favourite Megadrive games. I especially liked shooting the TV,s and finding the hidden areas. I didn't get far though due to my poor hand eye co-ordination.

[@6sKi6z6]

I had a lot of fun with this game when it came out. Was it as good or pretty as Donkey Kong? No. But it was the right amount of difficulty and exploration to keep me going through to the end.

[@Thor-Orion]

I would absolutely put the visuals of Vectorman up against those of Donkey Kong. Especially Vectorman himself and his animations. This game has GORGEOUS visuals. It doesn’t play like Donkey Kong Country in any way shape or form, but saying it’s not as pretty isn’t really accurate.

[@MEGAD-nb9uu]

​@@Thor-Orionit's not even close let's be real

[@Thor-Orion]

@@MEGAD-nb9uu I am being real, Vectorman has incredible visuals, maybe you just haven’t played it, but the visuals are definitely in the same league as DK

[@durby5662]

Christmas 95' got the Genesis bundle and played this game a ton. Really fond memories being my first game and console.

[@travismosella4471]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS REVIEW!!!! I'll never forget when I unwrapped my copy. I bust this games ass, period, and its definitely one of my top 5 on the Sega. There's so much polish if you understand the mechanics of the game and the rules!!!! So many hours I sank into this to be faster and beat prior scores. It's still part of my library today. 💯❤‍🔥 Which I revisit still to this day, frequently.

[@andresdigi25]

you have a good taste for games

[@personavisceration371]

I used to play this on my Nomad and loved it. Vectorman, the R-Type of run 'n' guns. Also, that OST sure reminds me of SubTerranea in a great way.

[@defaultxr]

One thing I always loved about Vectorman is how the jet booster that you use to double jump can also be used to damage enemies. It is actually extremely powerful; I think it does damage every frame it's connecting with the enemy, so it can really cut through bosses to take them down fast. Of course, you have to time and position it just right so you don't end up damaging yourself in the process. It's a very high-risk-high-reward technique that raises the skill ceiling quite a bit, which is one thing that puts this game in the same tier as the classic Sonic quadrilogy for me. In comparison to a lot of games on the Nintendo side of this era, I feel like the high skill ceiling was something that games on SEGA consoles tended to do really well.

[@KaskelotenZebbe]

About 10 years ago, I ran a poll on Sega-16 to decide which game to buy as a birthday present to myself. Vectorman won. I was not disappointed.

[@JohnAGalvanArt]

This was a wonderful video, and made me very happy to see, Vectorman was one of those games that was always good fun but played differently to anything at the time. But I am happy with what was delivered as well as the sequel... I would have rather it only have two games, than to eventually burn out and fizzle like most franchises that keep going until they implode. I'm grateful we got what we did, rather than that happening. Not every franchise needs to be continued , it fulfilled it's purpose.

[@ThatOldSchoolMagic]

Before the Video: I’ve actually been waiting for a vid like this to come out because i’ve never really been interested in VectorMan mainly due to it’s lack of color/design in areas. It’s similar to the game billy hatcher where the games designs don’t look all that appealing but supposedly it’s a pretty good game. After the Video: Now that I got a better look at the game. It actually looks like they put more effort into the later sections of the game design wise. What didn’t look appealing to me was that it was more about simple designed robots and the lack of color which was big throughout the 16 bit era seemed to be missing in certain early areas of the game. Thats not to say it looks completely plain but it kind of does when compared to other games out during that time. I would actually like to see a mod of the game where the people working on it put more color because it just looks too simple or dark as you’ve said.

[@dragonlord83]

The sequel sorted out this issue somewhat. Whereas the first game took place in mostly industrial areas the second game had more nature based stages such as forests and volcanic areas. That's why I prefer Vectorman 2

[@ps3inquisition441]

I was so hyped for Vectorman’s release. Got my copy day 1. I put countless hours into it, and still play it occasionally. Great game.

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

Blue Sky squeezed every once out of the Genesis. The opening level still impresses. It'd be cool to see the IP resurrected, but ya know, SEGA...

[@FlyingDuckMan360]

@Ryan Sega has been giving new games to some of its older IPs in more recent years; they gave us Streets of Rage 4 and Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. I'd like to see Vectorman 3 and Ristar 2 from them. Also, your avatar is from the movie that had a similar concept to the original game.

[@HellsChef45]

@@FlyingDuckMan360 I want to be optimistic but Streets of Rage 4 and Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX doesn't have SEGA's name anywhere near it. Same with the recent Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove, Shenmue 3, Panzer Dragoon and House of the Dead Remakes, as well as the new Wonder Boy games/remakes also not having the SEGA logo anywhere. It has me confused, but I want a Ristar 2 and a Vectorman 3 to finally be a thing as well, I just hope that SEGA can keep their properties.

[@inujoshwa89]

Your intro is so dope sick... A quick little sprinkle of nostalgia I love it

[@jetstreamdefalpha5411]

One of my oldest gaming memory. Got it at blockbuster. I could never beat the first level, and still can't, till this day.

[@learrus]

I played Vectorman at Sears at one of their in store kiosks while we were getting Christmas photos done and knew immediately what I was asking Santa for that year

[@tomevil6]

What a wonderful review! Vectorman is one of my favorite Sega games, I would love to see a part 3 made in the style of the first two.

[@HayTatsuko]

This is absolutely one of the coolest games on the platform. The presentation is stellar. Folks love to rave about the graphics, SFX, and music - which are all extremely solid! -- but one of the things that caught my eye straight away was the funky typeface used in parts of the UI - it's kind of the headline typeface for areas and headings (the exposition in the beginning uses a different, purple-hued fond that's more readable.. wish it didn't!) . Love it to bits! "PReSS STaRT" indeed. It just adds to the quirky character of the hero to have those letterforms presenting certain information. A subtle thing, but still powerful! And then there are those lovely pennants snapping in the strong breezes of the opening level... in conjunction with the music, it makes for a fantastic aesthetic to start off the story.

[@SataniaMcDowel]

I still have my launch copy. Holy hell it's so much fun to this day. The G.O.A.T.

[@phattjohnson]

*GOATSE

[@ulester3092]

Oh no

[@dwightdixon8508]

Sure awesome to see you give an Vectorman exclusive review. I remember being blown away by its graphics, special effects, sound, large levels & tight controls. Wasn’t the best game but I enjoyed the heck out of it. Vectorman’s slight double jump reminds me of using a ninja in Fortnite save the world

[@Stoonk]

This game was so difficult I could never get very far, I never knew it had so much variety and unique graphics. I love the sections where you show off the music, you do it better than any youtuber I've seen

[@andrewdowell6474]

I remember really wanting to play this as a kid. I have it now on my Genesis Mini, I should try it out sometime.

[@chiissu]

The year was 199X, I was at a Toys R Us, I saw this game on a try out stand, It was VectorMan, I loved the beautiful graphics, The icy walls, The waterfall, The enemies, The way the main character moved, The lighting in the game of sunlight on the ice. It looked amazing, something about just fascinated me, It looked like nothing I had ever seen, Later Super Mario 64 came out and looked vastly inferior to the art I saw in VectorMan, It didn't have wonder and falls, Around then games went to 3D and weren't as good, Bad camera, Bad controls, Worse looks, Just like Talkies coming in at the late 20s replacing Silent Films: Something was lost when it transitioned, Things were really improving and just ended, Had we not gone to 3D I think many franchises like VectorMan would still be going strong, Truly a grand era we had

[@BrimstoneButcher]

Awesome review! Borrowed this from a friend after Christmas break in late 1995; he borrowed my MK3 cart. Really enjoyed Vectorman. By the time Vectorman 2 came out, I had already moved on to the N64 & Playstation. Finally played it in 2011 on the PS3’s “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection” compilation… & it was just as awesome as the first game. I was interested in that PS2 version in development but it kinda just died for whatever reason.

[@GoodGamingMemories]

Technically speaking, the Vectorman is a masterpiece, and the game still holds up very well even today.

[@StooCambridgeArtist]

Played this a lot back when it was new. Awesome game and really showed off what the Megadrive/Genesis could do.

[@TravisStamper]

Loved vector man from the first time I was able to play it. Never actually owned it so I have played the first few stages quite a few times, lol. Maybe time to break out the old Genesis and find a copy. Thanks for the video.

[@Thor-Orion]

I LOVE this game. I played the hell out of It after I got it for my birthday in 95.

[@MuaadElSharif]

Great video, still waiting for zero the kamikaze squirrel review.

[@Goosewitdajuice317]

A gen z kid here. My father collected games all through out the 90s and this game was one of the 8 or so we owned. Vectorman 1 and 2 Holds a special place in my heart. So many great times with my genesis. Phantasy star 4, shadow dancer, pac man adventure, the garfield game, and my baby beyond oasis. We owned a few others such as ecco the dolphin and some I cant remember. I was more of an n64 kid but my genesis stayed plugged up in the other room. I just recently bought the classics collection on my switch and I'm going down memory lane

[@frankdux5785]

Got this at christmas, my mom put it under the tree early, i could see it was clearly a genesis cart, opened the end, slid out of the box (was the late cardboard ones) and snuck it over my cousins and played like 2 days b4 christmas… what a heist we pulled!!!

[@patrickstonecrusher]

Another cool thing about Vectorman was just how many secret codes you could activate on the SEGA opening screen. In that era secret codes were often a selling point for video games, such as the ABACABBA blood code or the lesser known DULLARD debug menu on the Genesis version of Mortal Kombat, being able to play as Bill Clinton or Bevis and Butthead in NBA Jam. I dont remember specifics, but it was stuff like 'stand under the letter E and shoot it 30 times' so there was a chance you could activate one by just farting around. Most people didnt have internet access or a game mag subscription, so any codes discovered were passed around the lunch table or scrawled in the 'notes' page of video store manuals.

[@HadoukenX]

I remember getting this in the mail as a gift from my aunt. I was living in a small house near Myrtle Beach. The memories...thank you for the vid!

[@ridiculous_gaming]

I thought that this would have been a great addition to the newly launching Sega Nomad exclusively released from ToysRUs. Vectorman 3 on the Saturn could have been insane! Probably the big push to 3D titles killed such an amazing title.

[@pierre-marcdaoust2337]

A very good episode SLX! I hope that one day you will make a episode on Phantasy Star IV! One of the greatest JRPGS ever made I have ever played!

[@JuanDiaz-jo1rw]

Man I'm still hoping for a Vectorman remake for the new gen consoles. I have been saying this since the 360 era.

[@CaptAwesumNo1Zone]

This was a cool game back in the day, perfect grit and atmosphere, the water level is one of my favs in the game and the level music is one of my favorite tracks for any video game

[@l1uchill]

I played the first stage of Vectorman and I didn't understand it as a kid. I am thinking of replaying this series. I love the graphics and mechanics of the game. Awesome review SLX!

[@crunchinjelly]

Never saw what was impressive about this, games like Aladdin, Cool Spot, Tiny Toons had been out 2 years with similarly smooth animation at this point.

[@VenusHeadTrap2]

My brother and I found this in the $9.99 bin at our local KB toys in 1997. Best 10 dollar purchase my Mother ever bought us!

[@chaseman94]

I bought this from Funcoland back in December 1995 for myself for Christmas along with a used Genesis 2 console to replace the one my older cousin sold to a pawn shop along with a used copy of Gunstar Heroes. I traded my entire NES collection of games , accessories, and the system I had built up to that point since 1989 to trade in for a Playstation 1 but didn't have enough so I settled for what I chose instead just to have something new to play on Christmas day.

[@lostboy626]

I remember reading a retrospective awhile back that SoA was hoping for ol Vectorman to replace Sonic as the company mascot. That’s a really tall order, but still the game was great! Like you said, it’s such a shame that so many Sega franchises were simply abandoned. I do wonder what their ideas were for the potential Saturn outing.

[@tghooker5123]

I remember thinking when this game came out that they were pushing the old system to its limits. I still like to play it occasionally and listen to the soundtrack while working.

[@johnknight9150]

A personal favourite. It has a kind of kinetic violence to the movement and action that you can feel as you play. I don't think it needs the "it's not Contra" warnings, I think most people will probably not expect that kind of pace.

[@MaidenHell1977]

I ended up acquiring mint condition CIB copies of both Vectorman and Vectorman 2 that was new old stock on ebay way back in the early 2000s from a nearby seller. Still have them to this day. :)

[@gdtyra]

I played this on one of those game systems built into a hotel TV. That's my Vector Man story.

[@alexan2930]

Great review SLX. You touch on everything that Vectorman accomplishes and more.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

At Sega: Employee: - We have this original IP that garnered rave reviews and sold a ton, the sequel was a massive success as well. Boss: - Yeah let's abandon every single IP except for Sonic.

[@OtBe]

Such good memories of this at my first apartment & the roommate who introduced me to it.

[@jhoch311]

I can remember back in that day. i was far more a hardcore nintendo person at the time, but we did have some friends who brought thier genesis over on occasion and this is one of few games that i went through on the platform in the day. It was a good game at the time and still is today, i still consider this one of my favorites for the genesis after Sonic. I go so far back that i can remember having an atari 2600. I remember the hard competition between sega and nintendo in the 90s. I was in a state of shock when i first palyed sonic adventure 2 on the gamecube, i thought no way in hell is this possible.

[@axelguzman8432]

Nos quedamos con las ganas de jugar vectorman 3

[@WraithSlayer64]

Vectorman such a great gaming memory ! Sega Lord thanks for your efforts, time , and killer reviews/info.

[@zerocal76]

Broo how did I miss this. Vectorman was one of the games my cousin rented like twice and I barely remember playing it 😯 Thanks for the review; added to my Watch later list 👍

[@hotman718]

This game... Aged well. Graphically it still looks nice and colorful and it controls smoothly. I'm surprised

[@Geekdom101]

a classic, and hard as hell

[@Johnoftheuchiha]

I remember playing this through the Sonic Gems Collection. Thought it looked really cool even if I never got far

[@Oysterblade84]

Awesome game! Awesome review! I like this game and it's sequel, gorgeous graphics, sound is okay but nothing to really jam out to on the hi-fi stereo system, gameplay seems to be a mix of run n' gun and platforming and it's all around a great title to pick up and play once in a while. It's one of those games where you really have to be patient with it to succeed.

[@b.a.p.2731]

I am playing this right now, I had to pause and look on KZbin to see if anyone remembers it😂 I’m 39 years old btw & the bosses are much harder than I remember when I was 10

[@ChamplainValleyRailSnapshots]

Starflight on Genesis was awesome. I used to rent that from a local video store. I'd love to see you do a review of that. It was a very deep game for the console. I never beat it until years later when I could look up all the star systems and locations online.

[@RGF]

I loved this as a kid....for me it was 32bit already 😀 Thx for revisiting it, it really deserve more 👏