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Retro|Spective 065: Alex Kidd

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    Retro|Spective 065: Alex Kidd

    Cursing Sonic till his dying day will forever be...


    Alex Kidd



    Mainline Entry 01 - Alex Kidd in Miracle World
    Formats:
    Master System and Wii
    Before Sega had their own answer for Mario, they had an answer for Mario with Alex Kidd. The martial artist Alex punches and jumps his way through seventeen stages of platforming action with players aiming to keep him alive as one hit is all it takes to floor the character, that or losing a game of rock, scissors paper meaning for a martial artist Alex was a bit of a wuss. The game was very well received and Sega had its hit it was looking for on its hands.



    Mainline Entry 02 - Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
    Formats:
    Arcade,Master System and Wii
    Searching for the zodiac signs, Alex is out to also get his hands on his miracle balls. Outside of the visual difference and difficulty, the arcade and home version of the game are fairly similar though the game does include that cardinal sin of gaming - making you do all the levels again when you think you're done.



    Spin Off Entry 01 - Alex Kidd BMX Trial
    Formats:
    Master System
    Seeing only a very limited release, this BMX game for the Master System saw Alex tackle obstacle courses on his bike across five stages.



    Mainline Entry 03 - Alex Kidd in Hi-Tech World
    Formats:
    Master System
    Arriving as yet another quick to market entry, this third entry was actually a skin of a Japanese manga based game that was repurposed to cash in on the character. The game contains a series of puzzles and errands for Alex to run but because of the game not having been originally developed as an Alex entry, it caused frustrating inconsistencies for fans.



    Mainline Entry 04 - Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
    Formats:
    Mega Drive and Wii
    On the planet of Paperock, searching for his father, Alex travelled through eleven levels in this sole 16-bit entry that attempted to translate the character to the next generation of console. With several vehicles and items to use the game still carried over some of the series conventions such as the rock, scissor, paper routine but reception for the game was so poor that Alex's future was almost immediately cut short and Sega turned its eyes to bluer skies to find the new systems answer to Mario.



    Mainline Entry 05 - Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
    Formats:
    Master System
    Alex's final stand would take him back to his host console in this mix up title that saw Alex face off against the characters of the Shinobi series. Most of Alex's move set was replaced to more closely mirror the Shinobi series which meant this final game wasn't entirely a love letter to fans, this didn't matter come review time though. This may have been the final game to star Sega's original mascot, but with critical acclaim he ended his tenure on a high.



    Share your thoughts and memories of Alex Kidd

    #2
    I loved this built into the Master System back in the day. It has aged horribly though. I would love to see a modern version with tighter controls. No idea why this hasn't happened when the likes of Bubsy has been revived!

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      #3
      I had an MK1 Master System -- but for some reason, never played an Alex Kidd game. I know that lots of people have fond memories of the series, but when I've played any of the games, I just don't like how they play.

      I own Alex Kidd in Shinobi World -- which is at least a nice looking game.

      It's a shame that Alex Kidd on the Mega Drive didn't reimagine the series and make it something stunning like Sonic.

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        #4
        Alex Kidd in Miracle World was the first video game I ever played and I love it. Got the theme tune running in my head right now in fact.

        It was pretty much all downhill from there though. Shinobi World was OK but that's about it.

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          #5
          My experience with the franchise is pretty brief, the built in game on Master System was the only one I ever spent time with and I was never keen on it.


          For R|S 66:

          Clue - Flying in the face of the Ancients

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            #6
            I've only played one of these, which I thought was Miracle World, but it turns out was Enchanted Castle. I really enjoyed it actually, I used to play it quite a lot. The levels were varied and the janken sections were an interesting inclusion.



            I loved the boxart too. I remember studying this closely. Look at it - so much to explore! Reminds me of the Super Mario Land boxart.

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