I recently picked up a multi-game disc for my Xbox 360 that features 40 classic Sega Genesis games, and I have been in nostalgic heaven! There are so many classics on here, so I decided to take some time out over the next few weeks to take a look back at some of the great games that laid the groundwork for the fantastic video games we have today. To do so, I will use fan art courtesy of Deviant Art to show how people with artistic talent remember the gems of the past. The first game I will look at comes from Sega, and has its origins in the arcades of old. Originally a coin op game, it was ported to a bunch of international systems but most famously here in the US to Sega Genesis. It was a pack in game, meaning you got it with the system... which means that it was one of the games that almost everyone who had a Genesis owned. The game followed the adventures of a resurrected Roman Centurion that is tasked by Zeus to rescue Athena from the evil demon Neff. While questing after Athena, the centurion can absorb spirit balls that allow him to transform into different monsters, a la Altered Beasts. Each board has a corresponding beast, with five in total (werewolf, dragon, bear, tiger and golden werewolf). Each monster had multiple special attacks, some much better than others. I spent many hours trying to master the five levels (only five levels.... wtf!) and capturing enough spirit balls to transform into all the different creatures. The bear was by far my favorite, but the dragon (that flew for Christs Sake) was definitely the most equip for battle. The game was short, sure, but it was always a fun time. When I popped the game into my Xbox 360, this was one of the titles that I immediately cued up. So in honor of this Genesis 16 bit classic, here are a few artist renderings of the characters from the game to pay homage to the greatness that it possessed. Enjoy the art after the jump, and always remember where you came from when it comes to video game culture....
