Shooters have been a staple of home consoles and arcades since the beginning of gaming. The Genesis has its share of good shooters, and there are a few especially excellent ones that didn’t come out in North America. While shooters usually aren’t heavy on dialogue or plot, these two deserved a translation as they have more plot than the standard shooter. They also really show off some of the graphical capabilities of the Sega Genesis. Check them out!

Battle Mania Daiginjou

Battle Mania Daiginjou is the sequel to Battle Mania – released in North America as Trouble Shooter. Both games are run-and-gun shooters that have heavier story elements than most shooter games. Trouble Shooter was a great game but Battle Mania Daiginjou benefits from continuing the oringal’s plot and balancing out the speed and difficulty compared to the first. The game has both horizontal and vertical shooter levels and really pushes the limits of what the Sega Genesis can do with graphics and music. The soundtrack is one of the heaviest chugging rock soudntracks on the Genesis.  Its impressive how they coaxed metal guitar sounds out of simple FM synthesis.

Gley Lancer

Although this later game out o Wii virtual console in English, you can enjoy the original Sega Genesis ROM and the excellent Manga style cutscenes and story. The game is pretty standard side-scrolling shooter like Gradius but with the ability to shoot in all directions and with its own power-ups and unique environments. It may be a standard style of side-scrolling shooter, but it is a quality game. The music is decent and keeps you engaged in the action.

The backgrounds are gorgeous too. The story deals with the Earth repelling an attack from an unknown alien race. When a high-ranking general is captured, his 16-year old daughter hijacks the prototype “Gley Lancer” starship to rescue him. Both games have nuanced innovations for their genres and are great to play on an emulator.