Basic Issues With the Genesis + A New Review : World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
Hey everyone, just a short post today - I'm not planning on going to in depth as I've already repaired what I have, but when I fix a friends Model 1 Genesis I will make sure I do pictures to help. So, I just want to bring of 2 specific issues that are common place in an older system like the Sega Genesis...
Issue 1: Loose A/C connector in the back. Find yourself having to wiggle your power cord around to get the power to stay on? Simple problem with a simple fix. All you need is a Soldering Iron and some Flux. You can buy a cheap kit from Sears for about $10. All this problem is, is the solder connecting the power input to the main board has corroded away over time. All you have to do is re-solder the connectors and voila! Problem solved.
Issue 2: Intermittent connection issues with the controllers. Recently in the middle of a battle in Shining Force my controller decided to sporadically work. Sometimes it wouldn't work at all, others I can only move left. Some games I can jump and move right, but not attack and move left. So just like the issue above...take the Genesis apart and take a look at the bottom of the board where the solder joints are for the controllers. This one you need a good eye for. The first time I looked at these joints I didn't see an issue...then I put my Genesis back together and tried the second controller port, and it worked. So I took it back apart and compared the 2. What I saw was that on controller port 2's joints, it still looked shiny and the solder covered them completely down to the board. On controller port 1 however, it looked very dull and at the base were tiny lines or cracks. So I re-soldered the joints so they touched to the board and bam..problem fixed!
So these are just 2 of the issues I wanted to quickly cover - as I'm fixing a friends Genesis soon I will have pictures to put in here just to make it easier. Also I have 2 Game Gears which need fixing - on one the volume is super low and the other the volume is fine, but the picture is wonky. Those I can't guarantee when I will get around to fixing, but be sure that I will post them on here with pics! And yes this is a Genesis collecting blog..but, I'm a Sega fanatic..so I will be posting all my fun finds and other stuff as well...but the main focus is on the Genesis! So check back often for my updates and especially for the repair pics!
So I forgot how short World of Illusion Starring Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck was....so..here is the review!
World of Illusion Starring Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Review by Genesaturn
Synopsis: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are trapped in the World of Illusion by an evil Sorcerer and must overcome his illusions to escape back to reality.
Plot: The plot behind World of Illusion is very basic. Being a short platformer though, its to be expected. As listed above in the synopsis the premise is just that, to escape the world of illusion. Anyone who has played even newer platformers know the game isn't really about plot thickening events or twists in the story line. That is best left for adventure games and RPG's. All you need to know is you are trapped in this world and need to get out. It's the perfect story for a platformer such as this. Basic and to the point. Perfect!
Overall Plot Score: 8 out of 10
Game Play: World of Illusion is a great platformer. It's not very complicated with its simple walk, run, jump, attack setup. It's very easy to pick up and it's very short and sweet. The controls are responsive and its fairly easy. There are only 4 bosses total and none are difficult. This game can be easily beaten in around 30-45 minutes if you go from points A to point B. If you like exploring however, certain levels such as the underwater level or my personal favorite, the cupboard level, you can check every nook and cranny or extra lives and the such. Even still it would probably only stretch you to an hour tops. It may not be hard or long, but its a lot of fun. This game reminds me of why I love GOOD platformers. You can pick it up and enjoy it in a short amount of time, yet it holds tremendous replay value. I enjoyed playing this game now, just as much as I did when I was 9 or 10 years old.
Overall Game Play Score: 10 out of 10
Graphics: So yeah, graphics now a days are very realistic, but you know what...it doesn't always have to be about realism. Back in the 8 and 16 bit era it was all about fun and games were more of an art form than they are today. At least that's my personal opinion. World of Illusion is in my top 10 best graphics on the Sega Genesis. Everything from the backdrops to Mickey's facial expressions are fantastic. I LOVE 2D graphics and even though it may not be as snazzy as modern day 2D in HD, it still holds its own. The last 2 levels especially explode with color and really stand out!
Overall Graphics Score: 10 out of 10
Music: The music in World of Illusion is just as great as the graphics. Each stage has its own music track. The songs are typical Disney and very whimsical like the scenery of the game. The only repetition is during the boss battles, but they are short so it doesn't really matter much. The sound effects are very solid as well. From the swoosh of Mickey and Donald's magic cape, to their voices. The soundtrack melds perfectly with game!
Overall Music Score: 10 out of 10
Overall Score: 9.5 out of 10
Final Thoughts: Overall this is one of the best looking, sounding, and fun games of the 16-bit generation. It's short and to the point, yet keeps you coming back to replay. This is a game where its shortness doesn't detract from the final product, but a longer game would of been awesome. Even if you aren't a Disney fan, its a must have title for the Genesis!
Also for anyone out there thinking "oh great another sega fanboy loaded with bios reviews" stop right there. I have over 700 more reviews to give LOL and there are plenty of bad ones! Keep coming back for more reviews and other fun stuff. My next blog will focus on Accessories such as different styles of controllers, which has the better D-Pad, and best hookups to use on your Genesis!
Issue 1: Loose A/C connector in the back. Find yourself having to wiggle your power cord around to get the power to stay on? Simple problem with a simple fix. All you need is a Soldering Iron and some Flux. You can buy a cheap kit from Sears for about $10. All this problem is, is the solder connecting the power input to the main board has corroded away over time. All you have to do is re-solder the connectors and voila! Problem solved.
Issue 2: Intermittent connection issues with the controllers. Recently in the middle of a battle in Shining Force my controller decided to sporadically work. Sometimes it wouldn't work at all, others I can only move left. Some games I can jump and move right, but not attack and move left. So just like the issue above...take the Genesis apart and take a look at the bottom of the board where the solder joints are for the controllers. This one you need a good eye for. The first time I looked at these joints I didn't see an issue...then I put my Genesis back together and tried the second controller port, and it worked. So I took it back apart and compared the 2. What I saw was that on controller port 2's joints, it still looked shiny and the solder covered them completely down to the board. On controller port 1 however, it looked very dull and at the base were tiny lines or cracks. So I re-soldered the joints so they touched to the board and bam..problem fixed!
So these are just 2 of the issues I wanted to quickly cover - as I'm fixing a friends Genesis soon I will have pictures to put in here just to make it easier. Also I have 2 Game Gears which need fixing - on one the volume is super low and the other the volume is fine, but the picture is wonky. Those I can't guarantee when I will get around to fixing, but be sure that I will post them on here with pics! And yes this is a Genesis collecting blog..but, I'm a Sega fanatic..so I will be posting all my fun finds and other stuff as well...but the main focus is on the Genesis! So check back often for my updates and especially for the repair pics!
So I forgot how short World of Illusion Starring Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck was....so..here is the review!
World of Illusion Starring Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Review by Genesaturn
Front Cover
Title Screen
Screenshot
Screenshot
Synopsis: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are trapped in the World of Illusion by an evil Sorcerer and must overcome his illusions to escape back to reality.
Plot: The plot behind World of Illusion is very basic. Being a short platformer though, its to be expected. As listed above in the synopsis the premise is just that, to escape the world of illusion. Anyone who has played even newer platformers know the game isn't really about plot thickening events or twists in the story line. That is best left for adventure games and RPG's. All you need to know is you are trapped in this world and need to get out. It's the perfect story for a platformer such as this. Basic and to the point. Perfect!
Overall Plot Score: 8 out of 10
Game Play: World of Illusion is a great platformer. It's not very complicated with its simple walk, run, jump, attack setup. It's very easy to pick up and it's very short and sweet. The controls are responsive and its fairly easy. There are only 4 bosses total and none are difficult. This game can be easily beaten in around 30-45 minutes if you go from points A to point B. If you like exploring however, certain levels such as the underwater level or my personal favorite, the cupboard level, you can check every nook and cranny or extra lives and the such. Even still it would probably only stretch you to an hour tops. It may not be hard or long, but its a lot of fun. This game reminds me of why I love GOOD platformers. You can pick it up and enjoy it in a short amount of time, yet it holds tremendous replay value. I enjoyed playing this game now, just as much as I did when I was 9 or 10 years old.
Overall Game Play Score: 10 out of 10
Graphics: So yeah, graphics now a days are very realistic, but you know what...it doesn't always have to be about realism. Back in the 8 and 16 bit era it was all about fun and games were more of an art form than they are today. At least that's my personal opinion. World of Illusion is in my top 10 best graphics on the Sega Genesis. Everything from the backdrops to Mickey's facial expressions are fantastic. I LOVE 2D graphics and even though it may not be as snazzy as modern day 2D in HD, it still holds its own. The last 2 levels especially explode with color and really stand out!
Overall Graphics Score: 10 out of 10
Music: The music in World of Illusion is just as great as the graphics. Each stage has its own music track. The songs are typical Disney and very whimsical like the scenery of the game. The only repetition is during the boss battles, but they are short so it doesn't really matter much. The sound effects are very solid as well. From the swoosh of Mickey and Donald's magic cape, to their voices. The soundtrack melds perfectly with game!
Overall Music Score: 10 out of 10
Overall Score: 9.5 out of 10
Final Thoughts: Overall this is one of the best looking, sounding, and fun games of the 16-bit generation. It's short and to the point, yet keeps you coming back to replay. This is a game where its shortness doesn't detract from the final product, but a longer game would of been awesome. Even if you aren't a Disney fan, its a must have title for the Genesis!
Also for anyone out there thinking "oh great another sega fanboy loaded with bios reviews" stop right there. I have over 700 more reviews to give LOL and there are plenty of bad ones! Keep coming back for more reviews and other fun stuff. My next blog will focus on Accessories such as different styles of controllers, which has the better D-Pad, and best hookups to use on your Genesis!
Did you know that the new Epic Mickey game is coming out with a 2D platformer for the 3DS as well? The name is "Power of Illusion" which harkens back to these games.
ReplyDeleteI remember Gamefan covering this in one of the first issues I had by them. They had two giant screenshots which took up an entire page (each filled half of the page), which looked rather pixellated/blurry then but beautiful nonetheless. :)
My genesis fails a lot.. It's an old model 1, with the "high definition graphics" written around the cart slot, but I guess I have just played it too much and it likes to freeze during gameplay every so often. Probably it got damaged over the years from people tripping over the cords and knocking it off the table.
I wish clones were better, like from Yobo, but they seem to do Nintendo stuff better. Maybe in the future... but I am more into Famicom collecting now anyway, and kind of wish games did not take up so much space. (Flash carts...?) hmm.
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to Power of Illusion, I don't have a 3DS yet, but It's going to be the game that finally pushes me over the edge. Ever since Sega stepped out of the console business I've been Nintendo all the way. Sorry to hear your genesis fails a lot. Have you tried cleaning the inside contacts? Also check this older thread from DP http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?143396-Genesis-Freezing-issue
ReplyDelete