Ristar
Sega Genesis (1995)
One of the best platformers of the 16-bit era was released in North America thirty years ago today. Ristar is a very fun game, and I'm convinced that the only thing that kept it from becoming a big hit on the level of Sonic The Hedgehog is the fact that it was released at the same time that Sega was beginning to phase out the Genesis console.
The game was unique for the way in which you'd attack the enemies. In most platformers, you either jump on top of the bad guys or attack them with punches, kicks, or weapons to defeat them. In Ristar, you grab the evil aliens with both hands and smash them with your face.
The retro game market has gotten completely out of control since the pandemic, so a pre-owned Ristar cartridge with box and instructions will set you back about $200. However, since game was developed and published by Sega, there are quite a few different options available to play it without spending a lot of money. If you want a physical copy, the game is included in the Sonic Mega Collection in 2002, which was released for Playstation 2, Xbox, and Windows PC. It was also included in the Sega Genesis Collection which came out for Playstation 2 and PSP in 2006, as well as Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, which was released in 2009 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It was also available to download on Steam and the Nintendo Wii, Wii U, and 3DS virtual consoles, and it's included in the Sega Genesis Mini 2 and in the expansion pack for the Nintendo Switch Online service.
The retro game market has gotten completely out of control since the pandemic, so a pre-owned Ristar cartridge with box and instructions will set you back about $200. However, since game was developed and published by Sega, there are quite a few different options available to play it without spending a lot of money. If you want a physical copy, the game is included in the Sonic Mega Collection in 2002, which was released for Playstation 2, Xbox, and Windows PC. It was also included in the Sega Genesis Collection which came out for Playstation 2 and PSP in 2006, as well as Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, which was released in 2009 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It was also available to download on Steam and the Nintendo Wii, Wii U, and 3DS virtual consoles, and it's included in the Sega Genesis Mini 2 and in the expansion pack for the Nintendo Switch Online service.
