I know what you’re all thinking: why have another Turrican title on the Virtual Console when we’ve only recently been blessed with the delights of the sublime Super Turrican – especially when you consider these 16-bit titles look very much the same? However, while it’s true that Mega and Super Turrican do share some design elements, they’re far from identical.
Graphically, there’s little to pick between them; although the SNES instalment is slightly more colourful, the Genesis game gives a pretty good account of itself in this regard. One area it can’t compete in is special effects, as the Genesis lacks the fancy scaling and transparency abilities of Nintendo’s 16-bitter. Still, those clever chaps at Factor 5 do their best and the humble console is called upon to perform some pretty startling stuff.
Sonically, the gulf is a little more pronounced. The music in the Genesis game is positively tame compared to the screaming guitar tracks heard in Super Turrican and the sound effects are also pretty limp; this is to be expected when you consider the weaker sound chip contained in Sega’s console.
It would be unfair to review this game without making reference to the superbly goofy anime-style intro; to this day I still can’t decided if I really like it or find it repulsively terrible. You can decide for yourself on that score!
With the first impressions out of the way we can focus on the game proper. In terms of action, Mega Turrican has few rivals on Sega’s machine; with the exception of Gunstar Heroes, this is easily the most action-packed platform shooter available for the console, and the sheer amount of destruction occurring on-screen pushes the host hardware to breaking point.
Level design is also commendable, with plenty of variety to experience. As I said in my Super Turrican review, I still think Western developers lack the skills of their Japanese counterparts when it comes to 2D design, but the backgrounds and enemy design seen here are pretty impressive anyway. Taking a leaf out of the ‘Treasure’ videogame design book, Factor 5 has packed Mega Turrican with a whole range of intimidating boss battles and the pacing of these encounters (mid-bosses are the order of the day here) is excellent.
Turrican fans will be pleased to know the game doesn’t make any really sweeping changes to the format that got so much acclaim on the C64 and the Amiga; the biggest addition to the gameplay is the grappling hook, which works like the one seen in Capcom’s Bionic Commando. It allows the player to access hard-to-reach areas and really opens up the gameplay possibilities.
Given the close proximity of their release dates, it’s inevitable that Super and Mega Turrican are going to be compared to each other; the obvious question is, which one do you pick to download? There’s no easy answer to this; as previously stated the games look very much alike but there’s no denying that they are separate entities within the Turrican universe. Personally I prefer the SNES version to this as the music is far superior and the entire experience seems a lot more well-rounded, but in all honesty both are worthy of your attention.
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1. KeeperBvK
17 Dec 2007, 15:56 GMT
Well, it was just a matter of time, wasn't it? ^^
But a great addition nonetheless...though they really start releasing some of those instead of just announcing them to get a release at some point in the future...
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2. snabald
31 Dec 2007, 16:52 GMT
I always thought this version of Turrican was more fun than the SNES version, even if the SNES version had superior graphics and sound.
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3. Master Chief53
04 Feb 2008, 22:42 GMT
This game kinda looks like SUper Turrican for the SNES
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4. Kelvin
10 Mar 2008, 09:34 GMT
This one is more of a "true" Turrican title than either of the SNES games, by virtue of it also appearing on the Amiga (as Turrican 3). It's still a bit of a poor cousin to the first two C64/Amiga titles though.
Still a good game, though!
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5. Tides of Chaos
20 Mar 2008, 20:25 GMT
Are the Turrican games more like Metroid or Gunstar Heroes? I downloaded Gunstar but was disappointed while with the 2D Metroids, I have a good time.
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6. Drake
20 Mar 2008, 20:38 GMT
It's kind of a mix between Metroid and Contra/Gunstar Heroes/other run 'n gun games, although I'd have to say this game relies less on exploration than Super does. Overall it leans more to the run 'n gun games, but it's far less hectic, and notably easier.
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7. Shiryu
20 Mar 2008, 22:23 GMT
I really do hope following the Commodore 64 is the Amiga in a near on the VC as well... dreams
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8. ZEIDO
21 Mar 2008, 09:39 GMT
And what about the good old ZX Spectrum ?
Manic Miner on VC ...... wow!
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9. Rapadash6
21 Mar 2008, 14:46 GMT
This doesn't look all that different from Super Turrican, which I downloaded and admit, it's a cool game. I don't see the need to download this one, however, as they just seem too similar.
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10. President_Leever
25 Mar 2008, 02:48 GMT
I want to give this game a 5 because it's got excellent production values and it's a blast to play, but it's just a little too short and easy to warrant a top score (made it to the end level on my first try and I don't consider myself good at these games). Still a must if you havent played it.
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11. PRP
03 Apr 2008, 16:50 GMT
Please, can anybody tell me if this game is Pal optimized? I have little hopes for this, though... (fingers crossed)
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12. link64
03 Apr 2008, 18:04 GMT
how hard is this game is it harder than the original
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13. KhaoShar
15 Apr 2008, 23:15 GMT
I'll give this a five just like STurrican because the fun in this game is not in the graphics and sound but in the perfect action and the sweat on your hands when you're smashing the buttons ^^-
It is no question for me to dowload both the Turricans (as well as any C64/Amiga versions should they come). The question is: which one should I play first? Is there any singnificant difference in difficulty so one could say "you should play 'A' fist, the experience will enhance 'B' "? Or is there a storyline those follow, like it was in Metroid > Mertroid II (Gameboy) > Super Metroid?
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14. That Guy from Faxanadu
17 Apr 2008, 09:17 GMT
Khao, there isn´t much of a storyline in Turrican so play them in any order you like. The Machine invades planet - some guy/guys in Turrican armor comes to the rescue. Mega Turrican MAY be after AMIGA´s Turrican I&II, but Super Turrican could be anywhere in the story. I have a feeling Super Turrican is a bit of a remix of Turrican II since some bosses return. I suggest playing Super Turrican first because many like it better.
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15. CopyofCopyX
25 Apr 2008, 15:18 GMT
Hmpf.
Like most PAL Mega Drive Games the borders are huge!!!
Sega should really try to reduce that, comparing this to the Sega Mega Drive Collection is quite sad...
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16. Omega
26 Apr 2008, 11:27 GMT
Is there a save-function or a password-feature in this game? Or is it a "play-through-all-at-once" game?
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17. TRON
27 Apr 2008, 07:16 GMT
The SNES version of this series is slightly better than this, but I still find myself coming back to this one more often. It's just more fun to me. This game plays faster, is a bit more linear (so you can focus on destruction) and has better boss fights, which I love in any game. I wish there was a game with nothing but 100 boss fights in a row. Turrican has always played as a mix of several games that came before it, and if you like Metriod more than Contra, I'd say the SNES version. If you fancy more shooting, then this is the one.
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18. fixjuxa
28 Apr 2008, 06:18 GMT
I downloaded the SNES game a couple weeks after it released and I find this version to be far superior, most noteably in the level design department. The levels in the SNES game are boring and very uninspired compared to what Mega Turrican has to offer. Plus, this game has a grappling hook, which is quite a bit more fun to use than the freeze ray from the SNES installment. If you only download one of the two currently available Turrican games on the VC make it this one.
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19. CopyofCopyX
02 May 2008, 09:17 GMT
There is no save or password, but a cheat that will bring you into the next level.
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20. Omega
02 May 2008, 20:51 GMT
Hmm. I dont' like games where you have to cheat to play through. Is there at least the possibilty to (unlimited) continue where you last died? Then with the Wii-Suspension Save (or whatever it's called) the game can be played over a period of more than one day. Without starting all over again and again and again. Or not?
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