By far the easiest way to convince gamers to invest in a new console is to show off its visual clout. Both Sony and SEGA knew this in 1994, with Sony readying Ridge Racer and showing off Tekken for the PS1’s launch, while SEGA heavily promoted Virtua Fighter and Daytona USA. All four games had debuted in arcades around a year earlier, allowing Sony and SEGA to proudly declare that their consoles were capable of achieving arcade parity.
By adhering to this mindset, neither was too keen on showing off or investing in 2D games; although arguably more so Sony. The consensus at the time was that 2D games were old and tired, unable to offer anything new or exciting. We’d seen the Mega Drive and Super Nintendo pushed to their max with games such as Alien Soldier and Donkey Kong Country, and now it was time for all-new 3D pursuits with a greater range of possibilities.
There were some exceptions, of course, such as third-party games that had leeway. Ubisoft’s Rayman made a name for itself on the PlayStation and Saturn after failing to make an impact on the Atari Jaguar. Indeed, SEGA had designed the Saturn partly with 2D in mind, making it possible for 2D arcade games to be converted relatively easily, helping to spark a long-running relationship with Capcom, whose range of 2D fighters was still raking in the Yen in Japanese arcades. When it came to bringing these games to the West, though, Capcom’s distribution partner Virgin was clearly hesitant, only picking the most marketable.
2D games are so common nowadays that it’s absurd to think that some publishers denied them in certain regions. When the PlayStation launched in Japan and Europe, it was accompanied by Rapid Reload – a run ‘n gunner developed by the team later responsible for the Wild Arms RPG series. Sony Computer Entertainment America had no interest in bringing this pixel art shooter to US, simply because it failed to show off the PS1 hardware. 2D was out; 3D was in. While this may have been the case at the time, Rapid Reload was nevertheless a more than competent entry in the genre, mimicking SEGA’s Gunstar Heroes so closely that some critics wondered if the two were in some way connected. Adding more fuel to this fire was its Japanese name, Gunners Heaven.
Rapid Reload introduces us to treasure hunters Axel Sonics and Ruka Hetfield, who must blitz their way through six stages to defeat a terrorist organisation seeking a powerful stone. Each character has access to four unique weapons and four standard (pistol, flamethrower, homing laser, and a multi-directional cannon) to bring the total amount of weapons up to a respectable eight. Enemies can be grabbed and thrown too, inviting another Gunstar Heroes comparison, and there’s a special focus on battles against sizeable bosses. Playing into the chaotic nature further, enemies drop crystals that boost firepower, making it essential to constantly run ‘n gun. While there is no two-player option – something that dragged down review scores – each character does have their own ending.
The intention here was clearly to show off that the PlayStation could handle busy 2D action games, which it achieves to good effect. This would have been a very good fit for the SNES’ Sony developed CD add-on that never happened, and perhaps in an alternative reality, Rapid Reload would have been a headliner on that system. Critics were generally positive about Rapid Reload, although most were quick to note that it wasn’t the best way to show off your shiny new £300 purchase, being more at home on something like the SNES. Due to low sales at launch, with many gamers opting for the likes of Ridge Racer, WipEout and Battle Arena Toshinden instead, Rapid Reload can command up to £200 nowadays on auction sites.
Over on the SEGA Saturn, and launching the very same day as Rapid Reload in Japan, there was Astal. This predominately purple hued 2D platformer was both developed and published by SEGA in Japan and the US, trailing a few months behind the system’s launch in both territories. When it came to the European launch however, Astal was absent despite being visually superior to anything released on the Mega Drive or 32X. While the reason behind its absence has never been fully outlined, the most logical reason is that it was in 2D, and not cutting-edge 3D like the rest of SEGA’s first-party titles. It’s doubtful that SEGA felt it was too cutesy for European audiences, as Astal had a quintessentially ‘90s attitude, forever frowning.
Unlike Rapid Reload, Astal had a two player mode, with a friend able to control our hero’s avian assistant to attack enemies or team up for a power move. The story sees Astal, a boy born from a red jewel, out to save Leda – a girl born from a green jewel, before being kidnapped by a warrior known as Geist. Playing into the theme of jewels and crystals, most stages are formed from crystal-encrusted caverns, with names such as The Crystal Palace and Glacial Rift. Even in screenshots, it proved to be quite eye-catching. Large sprite-based bosses featured too, along with an obligatory CD soundtrack and animated cut-scenes. Like Rapid Reload, it has over time become a cult classic, arousing intrigue with its lavish 2D visuals. ‘90s critics didn’t warm to it all that much, though, with a few less than favourable reviews. Again, this wasn’t the kind of experience you purchased a shiny new 32-bit console for. While the Japanese version is relatively common, the US version routinely sells for over £100 nowadays.
Let’s roll back to the PlayStation’s launch for a moment. We briefly mentioned Rayman, and for a good reason. When the dust settled on the humble PS1 in the early noughties, news broke that it was none other than Rayman that ended up becoming the console’s best-selling game in the UK. This was achieved through an extraordinary long tail, becoming a slow but steady seller over the course of around eight years through hardware bundling – UK retailers would often throw in a Platinum re-release with a new console purchase, and good ol’ inoffensive Rayman was a popular choice. Over on the 3DO – another 32-bit system capable of 3D visuals – it was Crystal Dynamics’ Gex that became the console’s best seller, shifting 1m units. In addition to being mascot-driven platformers, both games were presented using 2D visuals – the very thing Sony set out to avoid associating with the PS1. Their eyes were so poised on the future that they overlooked the appeal of offering something familiar.
Images via MobyGames.