Microsoft had, what seemed like, a lot to say about the hardware, and certainly seemed to be pleased with themselves by the end of it, but if there was one thing myself and the rest of Twitter continued to think of, it was, “Where are the games?”

Now, sure, Microsoft did *show* some games, but nothing that could be defined as ‘refreshing,’ ‘exciting’ or ‘new.’ We got a bunch of sports titles, courtesy of EA/EA Sports, and a new trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts (complete with timed exclusive DLC), as well as Forza Motorsport 5 from Turn 10 and Quantum Break, a new IP from Remedy Entertainment. Aside from that though? Nothing, really. Not even Halo showed up in game form, and instead we got an announcement of a Halo TV show from Steven Spielberg.

Sundays at 10pm EST

Quantum Break (which could probably do with a name change so that it won’t be confused with Quantum Leap/Mechanics/Conundrum anytime soon) is a new IP said to be one of the fifteen exclusive titles that will launch on the Xbox One within the first year, and one of eight new IPs, yet none of the other 13 (Forza 5 was one, I believe) made an appearance; not even a screenshot or some kind of teaser. That statement served to be little more than a bullet point for Microsoft to use to get people to buy the Xbox One. I mean, it’s great they acknowledged games in-between the TV, Sports and Entertainment talk, but would a little more be too much to ask for?

Of course, after the event was over, a bunch of third-party developers/publishers came out and announced their titles for the Xbox One. Titles like Watch_Dogs, Thief, Destiny and Battlefield 4 were all quick to let the world know what many could have already guessed at. This is still great, because those games will look pretty damn…well, pretty on these next-gen systems, but we also already knew about them.

This is from Remedy, so I’m already interested.

Let’s rewind to the PlayStation Meeting from February, where Sony talked about hardware *and* games. Aside from the lackluster announcement of Diablo III and…whatever the hell Square Enix did, Knack, inFAMOUS: Second Son, Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Witness and Deep Down were shown, to some extent. To be fair, I believe Sony’s PlayStation Meeting went on a bit longer and the PlayStation 4 itself wasn’t shown, but in a 1-to-1 comparison, Sony managed to put out more info, with a lot of it being game related.

Microsoft could’ve done the same thing. After pushing their own event back a month, and having far more time to prepare, what they ended up doing with their 1Hr event was disappointing and failed to cover all of the bases an event like this should’ve easily taken care of. Holding back on discussing games until E3 is all well and good, but holding back on most of your games in favor of features the Xbox isn’t known for, is something else entirely. Simply saying, ‘We’ll have more games to discuss at E3 a couple weeks from now’ isn’t enough to keep people content. Especially when the info you do put out about the hardware leads to more questions.

Still, at the end of the day, I guess it’s better than nothing. Maybe E3, like Microsoft claims, will provide what we all really want.

Obviously, there have been children in games for essentially as long as games have been around, but to me, only recently have developers started to make young female characters the focal point of stories. In the Quantum Break trailer, we see a young girl demonstrating her ability to evidently control/manipulate time. This by itself sounds like a intriguing gameplay mechanic that could wield fantastic results, but the fact that Remedy Games chose the little girl as the one who can do this is interesting. It seems that many games have shifted towards a two player mechanic where the player controls a male protagonists and assists/protects a younger, female character who is essential to the story.

This dynamic really stands out to me as emerging within the Bioshock franchise, specifically in regards to the relationship between the Big Daddy and Little Sister. The job of a Big Daddy is to protect their Little Sister at all costs. The underlying foundation of protecting this Little Sister was embedded in both Bioshock and Bioshock 2.

The simple task of having a player to protect is one that’s been used in almost every genre from RPGs to driving games, but there is clearly one game in mind that set the standard for this sort of parental figure, so to speak, and that’s Telltale Game’s The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead introduced everyone to Clementine, a child who the player had to protect throughout the story. Like I said, the idea of protecting someone within a game wasn’t necessarily new when the game released in early 2012, but Telltale presented it differently. We learned to care about Clementine and became invested in her character and one of the main reasons behind that nurturing and protective compulsion came from her being a child. If Clementine had been a middle aged woman, I don’t believe the game would have been as successful on an emotional level. The developers played off the fact that players would instinctively care for children and want to protect them within the game, and that added a new dimension to The Walking Dead which really helped it succeed both critically and commercially.

There are plenty of other recent titles that utilize the dynamic of a male and female protagonist working together. The upcoming title The Last of Us features a fatherly figure, Joel, working with and protecting a young girl, Ellie, through the story. Bioshock Infinite featured Booker DeWitt escorting and protecting (and sometimes being protected by) Elizabeth. These are just two major titles that have utilized this same character layout and have had success with it.

To me, the reason developers add this female protagonists is somewhat obvious: the game is able to appeal to a broader crowd. Although there are games that succeed with a loan, male protagonist taking on enemy forces essentially by himself (Far Cry 3 and basically every Call of Duty and Battlefield game), the addition of a female counterpart adds another dimension to the story. The compassion that can be developed through protecting a female protagonist adds depth to the story and really immerses the player to a whole other degree. The technique has to be executed well though; developers can not just throw a female character in a game and the story is magically better. However, when done correctly, the male and female dynamic adds a whole new dimension to the plot and game experience.

It will be interesting to learn more details surrounding Quantum Break in the coming weeks, especially at E3. Details will hopefully be shed surrounding the dynamic between protagonists within the game, but if it’s anything like the relationships within The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, or Bioshock Infinite, Quantum Break could have huge emotional and commercial appeal.

The Next XBox…or my old VCR?

And then it happened, we saw the new machine shiny XBox, and we all conclusively groaned at the name of Microsoft’s 3rd console, the XBox One.  Our editor-in-chief, Alex Carlson, said it best over twitter, just do a Google image search for XBox One to find out exactly why that is such a bad name for this.  What happened to the XBox Infinity?  Or the XBox 720?  Hell, even the “Durango” was a better name.

We got into some hardware specs, and this was very similar to what we saw with Sony’s reveal, an 8 core CPU custom built by Microsoft, 8 GB of RAM (We have since learned this is DDR3, compared to Sony’s DDR5), a 500GB hard drive, a blu-ray drive, 802.11n Wireless, HDMI input and output, and USB 3.0.

And then it happened, for the next 45 minutes, approximately we saw all of 3 total games.  Forza as a launch title is exactly something we needed to see, but a simple passing mention of 15 exclusive games and 8 new IP to come out in the first year of the console?  Why focus on stuff like changing my channels with the XBox, my cable box does that just fine, not to mention that every year more and more people are cordcutting.

Seriously, WTF?

Why focus on skype and fantasy football and what’s “trending” on XBox Live?  Cloud-connected gaming might be interesting, but a “take anywhere DVR for your games” doesn’t really tell me how that’s going to work, and I don’t really consider this, or any console to be “mobile”.

The new controller picked up where the old one left off and I think it may finally answer the call on the new d-pad players have been asking Microsoft for for a long time.

Getting back to games for the second time in the event, we also saw a truly interesting title in Quantic Break but were barely given a sniff of what it might be aside from that “our choices will influence the happenings in the game.”  Well, great, that describes about half of the games that come out these days.  Also, is this a game & a tv show like Defiance, or is this something more?

Then back to the entertainment, Nancy Tellem came out to tell us that the XBox One will be the next springboard for “Water Cooler” chatter.  We get it, you can watch TV through your game console.  That being said, the possibility, if done right, of a TV show based around Halo, has promise, and could lead to future exclusive XBox Television Programming.

Please don’t suck…

They also went on to reveal an alliance with the NFL for exclusive content, and just when I thought I was finally going to see something that would make me buy this thing, like free NFL Sunday Ticket with an XBox Live account or something, they mentioned that this is really a glorified fantasy football app.  BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

As the event came to a close, and I would definitely be remiss without mentioning the one thing we all knew we were going to see today, game number 3 in this star-studded lineup appeared, and while it did not disappoint visually, does anyone out there really, truly care about another goddamned Call of Duty game?  FPS is so last gen.  Nevertheless, here’s a couple nice images of the new game.

Oh!  Wait!  This game is TOTALLY different than any FPS you’ve ever played before!  It has dogs!

Yep.  You and your trusted canine get to go obliterate some kind of modernish alternate history with guns, and then swear at your enemies over XBox Live.

Ok, so maybe I’m a tad cynical about what we saw today, but I truly think Microsoft came out swinging for the fences and ended up with a bunt at best. The hardware is on par with the PS4, though Sony’s box may have a bit more raw power in it, but what Sony did right in its presentation of its next gaming console is what Microsoft did wrong. Microsoft plain and simple, forgot about the one thing it’s supposed to be selling with this system, and that’s the games.

E3 is a few weeks away and that damn well better be all about the games for Microsoft, or this is going to make for a very short war.  Right now, I’m giving it to Sony.

Overall Event Grade:  D+

Update:  Shortly after the event the other relatively newsworthy items that came out were, and none of these should come as a shock, the system will not be backwards compatible with the XBox 360, it will require a hard-drive install of ALL games (meaning that 500GB is going to get used up pretty quickly), and while it’s not an always-on device, you will need to be connected to the internet for most functions.  Finally, used games do kind of get the screw here, where the instance of where a disc is installed on one account, if the disc is then used with a second unique XBox Live account, that user would be given the option to pay a fee to install it on their account as well.

As requested by our lovely listener “Final Vigil” for the Oblivion IV theme song since we have alreay posted one for both Elder Scrolls III and V.

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Kevin Butler, portrayed by actor Jerry Lambert (Neighbors From Hell, Sons and Daughters), first appeared in 2009 in an advertisement for MLB 09: The Show, offering a comedic portrayal of the Sony image, while also keeping the humor remarkably high-brow. What originally seemed like a one-time thing quickly grew. Butler’s appearance in future Playstation commercials for games like MAG, LittleBigPlanet 2, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception showed that this one-time thing was much more than that. Butler added a refined charisma to Sony’s advertising image, one where the corporate elements were perverted and didn’t seem alien to the consumer audience. Butler earned a number of accolades, including a role as a DLC character in LittleBigPlanet Karting and getting a sandwich named after him by National Public Radio (with the sandwich being mentioned by Butler in an earlier Playstation advertisement).

Benedict Butler?

However, Jerry Lambert’s appearance in a Bridgestone commercial where the actor was playing a Nintendo Wii system essentially crippled Lambert’s future as the witty and multi-faceted Sony VP. Since Lambert had earned a reputation and cultural identity for his portrayal of Butler, seeing him playing a direct competitor’s system was sure to raise some eyebrows, many of which were from Sony higher-ups.  In an effort to prevent confusion regarding Lambert’s role as Butler and the Playstation brand, Sony sued Lambert in 2012. Afterward, the long-running Kevin Butler commercials ceased to air on television and through online ads (including the now vacant Kevin Butler Youtube account) and Lambert would never be seen portraying Butler again.

So what’s the big deal? Why is Kevin Butler such an important figure in video game culture today? Well, one important thing to note is the time context. Sony actually had a lot of trouble before the PS3 launch, with their indecisive advertising going back as far as 2005. They had already run a series of terrible PSP ads featuring squirrels and balls of lint with racially derogatory behavior and speech patterns, earning a huge amount of negative criticism from gamers and non-gamers alike. The early Playstation 3 advertisements were also poorly received, featuring empty rooms, stuttering visual effects and some creepy uses of dolls. The early years of the Playstation 3 were a struggle for Sony, but ultimately, the release of a number of well-received games like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves got the company to also reevaluate its cryptic and disturbing PS3 advertising campaign. Sony had to make an image for Playstation, one that didn’t seem overly cryptic and monotone, while also not sinking down to racial stereotypes just to prove how “hip” their products were.

Was this funny? No. Was it racist? Well…

A major moment for Butler was his appearance at the Sony press conference at E3 2010. When he first came out, Butler received a huge amount of applause. Gamers already knew who he was, but his not-so-subtle jab at Microsoft’s Kinect presentation earlier that week was met with laughter. If it was a developer (even one in-house for Sony) who took a shot at Microsoft, that particular comment would probably have been received with less enthusiasm. Butler’s playful image gave him the opportunity to do what the professional spokespeople for Sony could not: act unprofessionally. But in a way, it was professional. Sony was able to bypass the criticism of direct and intentional jokes toward Microsoft by giving Butler the call to do it. If Jack Tretton did it, he’d look like a total jerk, but when Butler did it, it was just plain funny.

 ”Am I crazy or did I see 100 French acrobats dancing around the other night?”

Sony’s image reformation (at least from a promotional standpoint) benefited immensely from Kevin Butler. In an industry full of companies so hell bent on making themselves look stalwart and monolithic, Kevin Butler showed that Sony wasn’t afraid to approach gamers’ needs on a personal level. Kevin Butler wasn’t just a funny spokesman for Playstation; he was also a perfect analogy for the kind of image shift that Sony was going through and desperately needed at the time. After the serious launch of the PS3, Sony aimed to recapture gamer confidence by loosening up and treating consumers not as customers but as gamers. These gamers were avid watchers of viral marketing on Youtube, so it only made logical sense that Kevin Butler was an answer to that growing culture of gamers. Sony’s all-business image seen during the PS3 launch was waning, gathering influence from gamers’ more relaxed and comedic sensibilities. It was a brilliant move and it worked out immensely for both gamers and Sony.

After Butler’s “death”, video game advertisements have regressed back to the same stale form that we’ve grown to loathe. It’s all about the over-the-top gameplay scenes, the serious and minimalist tones, and the complete lack of playfulness. It’s discouraging to see this, especially from Sony, who had something so potent and refreshing in the Kevin Butler commercials. While Butler was a fictional Sony figure, he had the same kind of charisma as someone like Stephen Colbert. His character was tuned for the nature of advertising in this viral age.

Kevin Butler was the closest thing Sony ever did to making the Move look cool.

So why haven’t we seen another figure like Kevin Butler? Well, at the moment, the serious nature of the medium is fueled by the next generation. No one really wants to laugh along with a comedic figure when their so full of anticipation and cautious skepticism toward a next-gen lineup. Sony in particular isn’t really flaunting a relaxed pose. They’re letting their products do the talking instead of their commercial image, which at the moment, would actually be rather beneficial. Microsoft probably needs this kind of image more than Sony, being that their Xbox 360 successor is still being circled by questionable speculation on always-online and their neutered relationship with the lighthearted and more humor-focused indie developers. Like Sony, though, Microsoft is trying to show off tech and support instead of give themselves an image reform at this moment in time. Nintendo, however, could benefit immensely from a character like Kevin Butler, someone who can offer a message while also being funny and likable. This lack of a Bulter-esque figure also shows Nintendo’s hesitance to use those viral comedy sensibilities. Tradition is okay, but sometimes that next big step can mean more than tradition ever could.

Regardless of the situation, the loss of Kevin Butler was a harsh hit to the video game advertising world. He toned down the impenetrability of the medium, making it approachable and remarkably funny. He made the professional look unprofessional. It was amazing.

And yes, I’m still bitter that Kevin Butler wasn’t a playable character in Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale.

Got something to say about Kevin Butler or the future of video game advertising? Remember to comment below!

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The most obvious game that draws on historical fiction is Assassin’s Creed. The first title did have historical elements to it, but it wasn’t until Assassin’s Creed 2 that Ubisoft really dove into the historical richness of the time period. The city was crafted accurately (more or less) and the inclusion of real people and buildings with true biographies and backgrounds created a sense of immersion that really was never seen before.

In my opinion, it’s almost tougher to craft a fictional story based on real facts while maintaining a realistic feel compared to a totally unique and new  intellectual property. The developers have to create a feeling for the player that although the characters and locations were real, their fictional actions within the gameplay and plot are believable. When there is an intellectual property no one can second guess if the character would do something because there is no background experience to draw from. For example, it’s a lot harder to convince the consumer audience that Leonardo da Vinci was an accomplice to the assassin’s by crafting weapons and machines for them while still maintaining his historical identity of a scholar and inventor than Mario would kill goombas with fireballs.

Ironically, the game that made me start contemplating this genre more is a new point and click adventure based on the Watergate scandal called Watergate: The Video Game. Anyone not familiar with the Watergate scandal (or that has completely ignored American history) should know that it took place in the 1970s and involved then President Richard Nixon and a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters (some may call it a conspiracy, but to each their own). The game is a very simple point and click adventure focusing on Bob Woodward, who along with Carl Bernstein, broke the story for The Washington Post. The game draws from Bernstein’s book chronicling the events that transpired and their eventual publishing of the story.

Watergate, to me, is why the historical fiction genre is so interesting in gaming: it’s able to take a story that the average citizen knows about and lets them relive it themselves (all be it with some entertainment value added in). There has been so much published surrounding these events that it’s exhilarating to be able to actively live out the events. As a caveat, I also played this game on a post-high of Watergate information having ironically just watched Revisiting All the President’s Men which was a documentary on Discovery interviewing the actors and crew that worked on the original movie based on Bernstein’s book (which if you haven’t watched I would highly recommend). That did add to the fun that I had playing this extremely simple game, but the underlying fact remains that this is arguably my favorite genre of games.

Many games struggle with fully immersing the player in the experience, but historical fiction games don’t have that problem. The background for the plot and events are already established so there is no lag time for players to be engrossed in the story. This is the element that the genre can capitalize on. The fact that players believe they know what and when things will happen is a chance for developers to throw some curveballs into the story and really shock people. I can only hope that more developers create games using the Assassin’s Creed or Watergate style because there is huge potential there.

Good port: Minecraft: 360 Edition (Xbox 360) 

No, Minecraft: 360 Edition is not better than the PC version. Yes, it is an amazingly fun game. The lack of mods and a smaller world may turn off PC purists, but for anyone who wants a quality time-waster on the 360 should look no further than here. Minecraft is still all about crafting, building, harvesting and running from snarling and slurping night creatures. It’s a humble game without any real direction, but that’s the charm of it. It’s a sandbox game all about exploration and ambition. The controller does a respectable job of keeping the building maneuvers consistent and an easy-to-use party system will keep you and your Xbox Live friends involved for weeks. No major blemishes appear on Minecraft: 360 Edition, so PC gamers, take a deep breath and put your pitchforks and chloroform away, please.

Bad port: Minecraft: Pocket Edition (Android)

No, Minecraft: Pocket Edition is not better than the PC version. No, it is not an amazingly fun game. While Minecraft had hits on the PC and consoles, the mobile version on Android is easily the worst way to play it. There’s really one reason why it sucks: no buttons. A touch-screen does not work in Minecraft. The fact that the screen uses those “pseudo-buttons” (you know, just an overlay on the screen of where you should put your thumbs) is bad enough, but the sluggish and unresponsive building mechanics are downright terrible. You need to press and hold the screen to perform certain actions, which slows down building to a crawl. How about not being able to see your screen because your thumbs are blocking the view? Unless you own the Xperia Play from Sony (which actually has buttons), you’ll find the controls to be a major downgrade from Minecraft PC or 360 Edition. Oh, and the content count is even less than the 360 Edition. Nice one, Notch.

Good port: Chrono Trigger (DS)

Chrono Trigger really was the peak of JRPG creativity during the pre-CD world of video games. A massive quest with multiple endings, a solid and fundamentally-sound battle system and a collection of memorable team members made the game more than a financial success, but the standard by which the genre was measured. When the game was announced to be re-released on the DS handheld, fans were ecstatic, and for good reason. Chrono Trigger on DS offered the already content-packed title for gaming on the go, along with bonus material that was not on the original SNES cartridge. Translations were less “Engrishy”, the dual-screen mechanic removed the HUD from the top-screen, along with extra dungeons and story elements. All this on your handheld. Chrono Trigger wasn’t a cash-grab. It pretty much gave gamers what they wanted: to play Chrono Trigger on the go. But when you go the extra step and give the gamers a little more to chew on, you’ve proven to be more than a nice guy. Kudos, Square.

Bad port: Final Fantasy Chronicles (Playstation)

Well, I take those kudos back, Square. The first major re-release of Chrono Trigger was actually on a compilation disc on the original Playstation, Final Fantasy Chronicles. The SNES hit was paired with a revised version of Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy II in the states), and while it was very exciting to finally revisit Chrono Trigger after six long years, the game was a technical nightmare and a poor re-release. With no extra game-changing mechanics and load times that would make the Road Runner lethargic, Final Fantasy Chronicles showed that CD tech had a long ways to go before becoming the lightning-fast speed machine that we know today. You did get those anime cutscenes, I guess, so if you want to see the characters in anime form for a couple minutes, go for it. Then again, that’s also on the DS version.

Good port: Resident Evil (GCN)

Resident Evil remains a cornerstone in the survival horror memorial, and while the more recent installments have been major flops, it can be easy to forget how amazing the Gamecube port of Resident Evil was in 2002. With no Ganados or Majini or whatever in sight, it was all creepy survival horror atmosphere. Tank controls may have been the name of the game in 2002 (long before RE4 rebooted the series’ quality), but those graphics…man, what a sight. It was miles ahead of the blocky polygons of the original Playstation and made the spooky mansion come alive with the undead monsters that inhabited it. It may seem dated by today’s standards, but back in 2002, no game was more detailed and downright frightening as the Gamecube version of Resident Evil.

Bad port: Resident Evil Archives (Wii)

Back in 2002, we really didn’t mind the tank controls in the Gamecube version of Resident Evil. They were restricting, but they had a purpose: to make you feel tense and claustrophobic in your own skin. When the Resident Evil port on Gamecube was getting a re-release on the Wii, it just wasn’t the same. We were already spoiled with the sublime controls of Resident Evil 4. Hell, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition had come out two years earlier. This regressive shift made going back to the tank controls all the more frustrating. The annoying motion controls made the already clumsy camera a serious pain to contend with as well. After playing Resident Evil 4, there isn’t a good chance that you’ll see the nostalgia gold in the original Resident Evil. It may be good for a history lesson, but survival horror has changed, and as a result, there really was no reason to buy or care about this Wii version.

Good port: The Orange Box (Xbox 360)

It was a long time ago that Valve actually had something nice to say about Microsoft. When the company decided to release their massive compilation disc The Orange Box across the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, 360 owners were given the treat of a wonderfully functional port of the PC smash Half-Life 2. Everything that made the PC version a treat was here on The Orange Box. With the budding Achievement system in perfect resonance and some high-quality tech powering the 360, The Orange Box provided a Half-Life 2 port fit for hungry console gamers, even if the PC version still reigned supreme. Anyone who (for some reason) has a problem playing FPS games with a mouse and keyboard could finally journey as Gordon Freeman and crap themselves in Ravenholm. Having Episodes 1 and 2 along for the ride wasn’t a bad deal either.

Bad port: Half-Life 2 (Xbox)

Some say that the Xbox port of Half-Life 2 was a good transition of the PC game onto a console. I, for one, didn’t have much fun with it. Being released near the end of the Xbox life cycle, Half-Life 2 just didn’t fit with the Xbox tech at the time. While Half-Life 2 was pushing PC’s to their limits, those who were actually able to run the game were treated with some of the most intricate physics and most memorable designs ever seen in a shooter. The Xbox port suffered from far too many technical issues to sit next to its PC brother, including a stuttering frame rate along with frequent freezes. It proved that the Xbox’s technological guts just couldn’t handle what Valve was pushing at the time. While some gamers enjoyed Half-Life 2 on the Xbox, flaws and all, after seeing the future incarnations of the Game of the Year winner, it makes the Xbox port look all the more buggy and forgettable.

Good port: Sonic Jam (Sega Saturn)

Yes, Sonic is no stranger to compilation discs these days. With over ten consoles to choose from, the original Sonic the Hedgehog from 1991 has been re-released without any restraint whatsoever. And while we’ve seen huge compilations of Sonic’s world, both retail and digital, Sonic Jam for the Sega Saturn was, oddly enough, the one that got it right the most. With the classic Sonic the Hedgehog game intact, along with a number of extras including the ability to use the Sonic 2 Spin Dash, multiple difficulties with redesigned layouts, and the addictive Time Attack mode. It’s especially surreal, since this game has long since been eclipsed for other incarnations of Sonic the Hedgehog like the Mega Collections and digital download versions. But by piling on the extras and keeping the nostalgia levels high, Sonic Jam is still the best way to revisit Green Hill Zone in its 16-bit glory.

Bad port: Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (GBA)

Advertised as a modern re-release of the classic Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis flaunted a number of nuances for the GBA retail form of Sonic’s debut. With a level select, a save system, and an “Anniversary Mode” (which included the Spin Dash move which debuted in the sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2), Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis looked to be the defining way to play the original Genesis classic on the go. But it wasn’t. Not even close. Despite these additions, Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis suffered from unbearable technical infidelity. From instant-death glitches, terribly remixed Sonic themes, and an insufferably slow frame rate, Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis was by far the worst form of Sonic’s original adventure. Even at a budget price, Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis was a total train wreck, making the goal of playing the original Sonic on the go still out of reach (until Sonic Classic Collection on DS made the move right).

Got any other favorite (or least favorite) ports of classic video games? Share them in the comments below!

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