Awesome games people should know about!

[Rez09]

This next title is one I imagine almost everyone either doesn't know about or overlooked, but I'mma throw out hints all the same.

1) It's a Genesis title from 1995
2) It shares its name with an SNES title, though both are completely different games
3) It's a licensed title based on a famous Hanna-Barbera property

Think you got it?
Let's find out!

Scooby-Doo Mystery - Illusions Gaming Company / Acclaim - 1995 - Point & Click Adventure

You know what's amazing? Somehow nostalgia has nothing to do with me liking this title. I didn't even know it existed until I randomly picked it up a few years back, and like anyone in their right mind I expected it to be absolute garbage (especially once I saw the intro cutscene. X_X). It's a good thing I have that whole "game over or 15 minute rule", because this title is actually quite good, at least when considering its limitations.

The first thing this game does right is departing from its expected genre, opting for a very SCUMM-esque point and click style instead of some kind of misguided platforming mishap like most other Scooby Doo titles do.

This lends itself exceptionally well to the source material, as exploring locations and stumbling onto clues feels natural and it allows a lot of dialogue to be inserted without it feeling like the pace of the game is being ruined. The D-Pad is a poor replacement for a mouse, but it never hinders things. The developers even managed to fit some of the series' staples, like the multiple doorway chases, into the game, which I was definitely not expecting.

The second thing the title does right is that it includes two mysteries on the cartridge, a haunted ski lodge and a haunted carnival, instead of just making a longer, single story. This keeps things moving along in both stories and prevents either from feeling artificially inflated (beyond normal adventure game fare), while only having two allowed the developer to fit adequate content into both. The game is fairly short in spite of this, especially when you know what you are doing, but it's still satisfyingly lengthy the first time around without a guide (that said, don't use a guide for this unless you get really stuck; the game's not too bad outside of a few select moments and a walkthrough really kills the experience ).

Anyway, there isn't much else to say about the title, other than that I wish I had gotten it as a kid, but if you are interested in a solid Point and Click for the Genesis, or a good Scooby Doo game, check this one out. My only warning is that there are some extremely well known problems with the game's audio when emulating it, so if the intro music sounds like this you might want to swap your emulator, but other than that the game is worth the couple of hours it takes to play through. Though the title isn't the best adventure game available for consoles of the era, especially with Snatcher, Secret of Monkey Island, and Famicom Detective Club floating around, it's still fun and remains . . .

an awesome game you should know about!