Old Games: Encyclopedia Bombastica: Target Earth

Never heard of this game! Of course, I never had a Genesis, either. For a side scrolling game, they had some really interesting ideas to add to it with having to escort your buddies, and board the ship and whatnot. Pretty good!

This was the first game I got on Genesis, because it was $7 at Toys R Us and I had $10. One of the best deals I'd found up to that point, such a fun game and that music is really catchy too. I think the only thing I didn't like about it was the all-white sticker on the cartridge, not that it matters as far as the game itself goes.

Dat shirt, my body is ready.

Man, Encyclopedia Bombastica might just be too weird for me sometimes.

Oh, shit - didn't expect another one so quickly. Very nice, Jeff!

oh man the background city for the colony level reminded me so much of sim copter and streets of sim city. they used really similar colors to make the cities in those games

This makes me want to play Turrican.

... Think I might do that, actually.

Target Earth has the best music on Genesis, bar none. Well, maybe Super Hydelide, but then you'd have to play Super Hydelide to listen to it.

4 endurance runs on one weekend? Pace yourselves? Also, when is the next endurance run?

That dialogue is awesome.

Thanks Jeff, I'd never heard of this game before but it looks neat. The way they captured the scale of the battlefield was, as you said, really impressive. Kinda got bummed out when the brown mecha-dudes on our side got killed which is crazy for a game 22 years old.

I really don't like the music in this game.

good stuff Jeff

I dig the credits theme a lot.

next up : boppin' make it happen jeff gerstmann

This was one of my first genesis games, used for 10 bucks. Huge favorite of mine! I actually found out about the 2-player/invincibility cheat on my own, which made me feel like a wizard, haha. Great variation in levels and stuff which impressed me back in those early 16 bit days.

playing mega turrican while watching this so EPIC

So much for short episodes.

Looking forward to digging into this.

Really good endurance run, Jeff. These videos are really interesting.

One of the greatest (and toughest) games on the Megadrive and in my personal top 5 of all time favourite games. The only way I could get the HG gun early was spending hours on Level 4, racking up a big score, which was a total bitch since you couldn't save and if you died you started from the beginning of the level with the score you started with.

Thanks Jeff.

Never stop this series! If you ever run out of games start talking about your shoes. I don't care what you talk about; these are awesome.

Is that the upcoming Team Brad shirt?

I actually really enjoyed this video. I didn't think I'd like learning about a lot of these old games, but maybe there's something about Genesis games? I'd like to see more Genesis games.

Awesome game, awesomer music!

Seinfeld bass lines all over this game

I can barely hear @jeff's voice. :(.

I love these!

I feel like its inspiring me to emulate all these old games lol

@ShaggE: @ShaggE said:

This makes me want to play Turrican.

... Think I might do that, actually.

TURRICAN!!! god I loved that game.

have to go get myself an Amiga emulator now...

#TeamBrad shirt? Don't see it on the store...

This game has some fucking excellent god damn music, holy shit, man!

God I love Konami's old "Assault Suits" series! This and Cybernator for the SNES are amazing, and the very similar LucasArts/Konami co-production Metal Warriors. That game blows away the actual Assault Suits game, so it's a shame that that's not officially part of the series. Awesome game to look at, Jeff!

Hate the name though. Always confuse this with the terrible NES Lightgun title, "To the Earth"

Oh and Jeff, you're right about there being an Assault Suits Leynos 2 for the Sega Saturn. But did you also know of another spiritual successor (besides LucasArts' Metal Warriors)? Squaresoft's PSOne Front Mission Gun Hazard. Done by ex-Cybernator staffers, including the director of that game. It CLEARLY looks like it too.

I'd never heard of this one before. Awesome stuff, and this is definitely a game I would have loved as a kid. Wish I'd heard of it then!

God I love Target Earth so much. It ranks up there with Solar Jetman and James Pond for nostalgiasms.

@hardindr: @csl316: Those are the original site-launch shirt designs of the 5-star avatars. The joke on the podcast at the time was that it would be too weird for them to wear their own faces. "I will be buying the Vinny shirt." ~ Jeff Gerstmann.

Does Jeff's shirt implies that this game is rated 5 stars?

It seems like the guys are making a real effort lately to release weekend content, which is great. Even if it's sometimes recorded earlier in the week, I appreciate having something to check out every day. I just hope they don't burn themselves out.

RIP Rance

@MjHealy said:

So much for short episodes.

Looking forward to digging into this.

seems like they can't help themselves

maybe we can have something called a "quicker look"

but that would probably grow to an hour long and "quick looks" will become 3 hours

so in conclusion: we all win

that was fantastic

Rance Culzus for president!

I'm sure that this will paint me, but I get a real Gundam-y sort of vibe from this game. In a good way.

@CrimsonClown said:

It would be great if Jeff could get a proper mic hooked up, my only criticism.

I agree. Otherwise, it's all good.

Dude... sound.... Watch your levels, man. Can't watch this.

I suggest doing either Nightshade or North and South for the NES for the next Bombastica. They are pretty fun and I don't think get the credit they deserve.

Those orange ships in the intro look like the Rebel Fleet in FTL.

This segment should be renamed "Nos Con" lol.

I'd bet anything Biomotor Unitron will be one of these. Provided he can figure out how to capture it.

this is a great feature. thanks, jeff

loving this new feature. Keep it up, Jeff

I never played sega genesis. Never saw it, never held a controller.

Another endurance run for the records!