A Forgotten Sega Classic
Sonic this, Sonic that... Get some Vectorman in there. Vectorman is a cool, collected, and crazy video game that takes the average Sega platformer and puts a twist on their normal stuff. Usually, their Genesis games are Sonic-esque in the sense that they travel to a goal collecting power-ups and specific items to give you more lives. However, this is different. Vectorman put a twist on the "Sega" game.
Character: What are Sega characters known for? Usually, hand-to-hand combat is something they handle. Take a look at their fighting games like Golden Axe or Streets of Rage or others. And don't forget Kid Chameleon (which thrived on different kinds of forms that used physical combat) and Comix Zone which was about a muscular fighter dude. Sonic jumps on his enemies, and Kid Chameleon did that without power-ups. Vectorman was a machine that could shoot photons at his enemies, while he could double-jump with rockets and often spoke in a cool-dude voice (in the first one). He was a robot made of spheres that spoke like a cool dude. That's different from Sega's usual protagonist.
Themes: The stages of Sega games tend to have the same themes. Start with a grassy are, move to some different ones, etc. Vectorman offered a twist. Although some of the themes were icy, rocky, watery, and stuff, it was all urbanized and modernized. Heck, a couple of them were overhead rail shooters!
Period of time: I don't know about you, but I've noticed that Sega Genesis games can be FREAKISHLY 80's. Kid Chameleon had the 80's bad-boy kid who's too-tough-too-beat, Streets of Rage is about cops beating up gangs, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel was Kung Fury meets every 80's martial arts film meets Deviantart! Vectorman kept its modern pace. It was set in the future, and the game felt like the future.
Items and Power-Ups: Usually, the items in Sega games are specifically for getting lives or points, such as rings in Sonic or diamonds in Kid Chameleon for using a special power-up. Vectorman's photons, on the other hand, were a challenge, as well as the TV's. If you could get them all, you'd get a huge point bonus. And every time you double your score from 10,000 to 20,000 to 40,000 etc., you'd get an extra life. The power-ups were usually cool new ways to shoot photons, or change Vectorman's form to help get into a new area. That's what the forms were for: getting into new areas.
Music: Sega music is usually cheery or adventurous, or flat-out creepy. I own a lot of them. Sega Genesis games tend to slightly over-dramatize their music. Vectorman was exciting and catchy, as well as cool and futuristic.
Vectorman is a cool and unique game for Sega's standards. I highly recommend it for Genesis fans.
