Ahh. Another episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew is done and uploaded; I can finally get some rest. Wait, what's this? A message? Flaming Sword is saying that we skipped right over the March releases, including Genesis classics like Alien Soldier, Light Crusader and Super Fantasy Zone. No, that can't be. There's no way that's true. Those must have come out in another region, because ... oh my god, I really did ignore last month's Genesis uploads. How the hell did that happen?

Okay, okay, there's no reason to freak out. We'll just do a make-up episode and pretend that everything is fine. Nobody will even notice. Let's cue the music and dive in. Fans of obscure Genesis games rejoice, because the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack has you covered. We recently saw the release of shoot 'em up great Alien Soldier, Treasure's genre-bending Light Crusader and the very trippy Super Fantasy Zone. That's cool, but are any of these games actually worth playing? In order to answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Mean Machines Sega, Next Generation and more to see what the critics said when these games first came out. Come, join me for another jam-packed episode of Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


After the critical and financial success of Gunstar Heroes, you would think that Treasure would be more, well, treasured. After all, they were one of the most exciting new developers of the early 1990s. Unfortunately, when it came to Dynamite Headdy, Sega wasn't sure what to do with it the stylish platformer, and they didn't even bother releasing Alien Storm in the United States. Just about the only people able to play this run 'n gun classic were those who imported the game from Japan or subscribed to the short-lived Sega Channel. As a result, there are a lot of Treasure fans who never had a chance to experience this Genesis great, and that shouldn't be the case for a high-profile developer like this.

Frustratingly, it wasn't just American gamers who were in the dark, but also game critics. Much like Mega Man: The Wily Wars and Golden Axe III, no U.S.-based magazine reviewed Alien Soldier. In order to get a score, I had to go all the way to the United Kingdom, where Mean Machines Sega gave it an 85% and said: "The pattern with Treasure games is beginning to establish itself. Whatever it is, it has to be different. This time, the traditional format of the shoot 'em up has been turned on its head. It's the bosses who take up the gameplay time -- the minor buddies are relatively unimportant. They are all well-designed, challenging and impressive to behold. This said, there is little of the technical experimentation seen on other Treasure games. But perversely, Alien Soldier ends up having more variety than other sprawling long-leveled blasters."

Computer and Video Games also liked the game, but pushed back on what Mean Machines said: "This is a well worn genre and there aren't many roads forward. Alien Soldier doesn't exactly build a new orbital motorway, but it does lead you down quite an interesting B-road. Basing play on boss fights isn't a new idea, but Alien Soldier does quite a tidy job of delivering the goods. Alien Soldier will take any budding sadist a lot of determination to complete, my only worry is that your blood lust may dry and your interest shrivel into repetitive stress syndrome before you kill the final infernal boss." I don't know, that sounds more like a dare to me. Give Alien Soldier a download and see if you're up for the challenge.

Remember all that stuff I just said about Treasure? Well, here we go again with the famed developer's second game of 1995 -- Light Crusader. The good news is that Sega decided to actually release this cartridge, unlike the more broadly accessible Alien Soldier. Based on the reviews, that two games probably should have swapped release strategy, because Light Crusader was not as beloved by critics as the last game, or most other Treasure games, for that matter.

Next Generation magazine gave it a 3 out of 5 and summed it up this way: "Treasure, the hot Japanese developer who brought you Dynamite Headdy, worked long and hard on Light Crusader in the attempt to finally make the definitive action/role-playing game. The problem with this genre has always been that there isn't enough action for the action fans and the RPG elements are too simplistic for RPG fans. One problem with the action elements is the perspective which the game is played on. The 3/4th overhead perspective means you can only move the character diagonally, which makes for control problems. In addition to these dilemmas, the puzzle elements are too simplistic and the story line is quite shallow."

When it came to Electronic Gaming Monthly, the scores were all over the place. Andrew gave it an 8 out of 10 and said that "It's good to see another RPG for the Genesis. I just wish that it would leave the Boxxle puzzle elements out of it." In sharp contrast is Scott's take, where he gave the game a 5 and asked the simple question: "Can anyone help me find the story? Maybe it's just a trend not to include a story in an RPG, but I think it's wrong. Light Crusader is a fine example of another battle lost in these final days of the 16-bit generation."

The highest rating I could find came from Mean Machines Sega, who gave it an 80% and called Light Crusader "stunning." "LC's closest comparisons are the old Ultimate games, and the simple puzzle each room offers offers a welcome breather from more complex RPGs. However, the 'push X to Y to achieve Z' formula may not appeal to all, and whilst there is a greater mission, I somehow doubt Light Crusader's lasting appeal." I guess you'll just have to test that for yourself when you download Light Crusader on the Switch.

The final Nintendo Switch Online game we're going to talk about today may not be a lesser-known Treasure title, like the last two games, but it is obscure ... at least to an American audience. When it came to releasing the Sunsoft-developer sequel Super Fantasy Zone, Sega opted to bypass the United States completely and focus entirely on Europe and Japan. As a result, there are a lot of long-time Genesis owners who have never played this game, let alone knew it existed.

With no American release, we're once again forced to turn to the Brits to find out what critics thought of Super Fantasy Zone at the time. With a 70%, MegaTech gave Super Fantasy Zone the lowest score. They argued that even though the "graphics are unusual," the action is pretty standard. "It's playable enough and on the whole it's a polished product, but ultimately it has no more thrills than any other Mega Drive shoot 'em up. I suppose if you were ever a fan of the Master System version, this is a game you should look for. The rest of you aren't missing much, though."

Sega Pro liked the game more than MegaTech, but critic Damian Butt had a sense that Super Fantasy Zone was destined to be forgotten about. He liked the graphics, sound gameplay, but noted that his main criticism is that the sequel is way too similar to the first. "It's all good fun for a few hours, but the appeal soon wears off and what you are left with is a standard shoot 'em up with some pretty graphics -- but this is not enough to keep it from falling into obscurity."

Of the UK Mags that reviewed Super Fantasy Zone back in the day, Sega Force was the one that gave it the highest marks. Averaging a score of 90%, Chris concludes that "Super Fantasy Zone floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Grab it for yourself and you'll see what I mean, and if you've got any sense, you're gonna grab it soon than later." Well, I guess you're just going to have to grab it to see what he means. You know what to do.