Alphabest: Mega Drive – I

If you thought the list of games beginning with H was pretty poor, then you ain’t going to like the list of games beginning with I.

I

It’s not a great list, it has to be said. There aren’t many, for a start – just 11 at my count. I know quality is more important than quantity, but that’s not really happening either.

Take Izzy’s Quest for the Olympic Rings for example. It’s yet another dire 16 bit platformer, with this one starring the mascot of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Because of course it is! Or take Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It’s yet another dire 16 bit platformer, with this one starring Indiana Jones! Released around the same time as the computer graphic adventure game of the same name, it’s clear that version is the better choice. Or take The Incredible Hulk. It’s yet another dire 16 bit platformer, etc., etc. Rubbish.

International Rugby is rugby, and therefore is not going on the shortlist, and although International Superstar Soccer Deluxe isn’t a terrible football game, it’s not one I’ve ever enjoyed.

With options rapidly diminishing, The Immortal is also ditched. Yes, I know it was widely regarded as a good game at the time. Thing is, it isn’t. It’s annoying and jerky and boring and the isometric view doesn’t offer anything.

What does that cull leave us with of value, then?

International Sensible Soccer (or more correctly, International Sensible Soccer Limited Edition: World Champions) is Sensible Soccer. More commonly known as The Best Football Game Series. It doesn’t have everything the slightly later Sensible World of Soccer update did, but the gameplay is intact and superb.

Ishido: The Way of the Stones is another of Accolade’s unlicenced Mega Drive titles (see Hardball! in a previous post) and is a puzzle game that plays out almost like a cross between dominos and a reverse Shanghai. It’s very simple, and although it’s no Puyo Puyo, it’s pleasant enough. Look, I said I[ref]The letter I, not me. How very dare you.[/ref] was lacking in quality, OK?

And the Alphabest?

Obviously, it has to be International Sensible Soccer. There’s no competition for the letter I, and so there isn’t really much choice. Thankfully, International Sensible Soccer isn’t a cop-out. It’s still an excellent game (as are most of the Sensi series, actually), so it’s a deserving winner.

Next time! J!