Five Excellent Car Trip Games

Of course, the Nomad can play any Genesis game. And 99.9% of those games are completely playable just as they are on the home screen, with the exception of eye-straining super detailed games, e.g. Lemmings. My favorite games back in the day were the Sonic series and Disney Interactive releases, and my choice favorites of those would come along on any road trip (those being Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Disney's Aladdin). But what of those other five spots I had in my carrying case? What follows are five excellent games that received little love at home, and so I brought them on the road for some much needed attention.

Jeopardy!
"This *pew-pew-pew* is Jeopardy!" What was once a boring game at home became one of my favorite car games. Complete with a digital old school mustached Alex Trebek, 1 or 2 players can play through the popular TV game show! While some of the questions are now a bit dated, the game has aged well. The game featured what was the first real dialog I had heard on the Genesis, I'll never forget Trebek's "Sorry." given at each wrong answer. An added bonus of playing in the car, I had access to my parents for help with any question I was stumped on (and I got a lot of those).

Risk
Another extremely boring at home game was my number two pick for travel play. Like Jeopardy!, Risk is best played with 2 players. What I remember most of this game is the kickin' revolutionary war music. Check it out in this intro movie. How can you NOT want to rule to work with that music in the background? One major problem is the inability to save. While at home a real life game would sit on a card table in the basement, Nomad Risk must be kept on and played through to the end. Of course, that's why I chose this game as a great road trip companion. You're stuck in the car for hours anyway, so why not see world domination through to the end?

The Lost Vikings
This frustrating nightmare in cartridge form saw little play outside the first level at home, but in the car I would usually make it to the fourth or fifth level. The game centers around three vikings who are abducted by aliens to become the latest additions to an inter-galactic zoo, of course the vikings would have none of that so they break loose and become lost in time and space. In a unique form of platformer gameplay that has most recently been seen in Sonic Heroes, you control all three characters each focusing on different strengths; speed, gliding & punching and the ability to reach out of reach places. Sound familiar to another trio? The game was quite difficult, but when you have the time to spare The Lost Vikings was a real gem of a game.


Sword of Vermilion
Sword of Vermilion was the one role playing game I owned for the Genesis during the time of the systems production, I had found it used at a Gamestop in mint condition with the mini hint book for a sweet $10. Being a youth raised on all things Sonic, I had little patience for the game but, like all the other games mentioned so far, when stuck in a car you learn patience. Having not played an RPG prior to Sword of Vermilion, I didn't have any other game to compare to. I loved the real time combat, and upon dying I'll never forget "Arise brave warrior! Our world needs you! But half your money goes to the poor." Playing the game now, it wouldn't be my favorite Genesis RPG, but Yu Suzuki made it and I love him like a second father.

Ghostbusters
Unlike the other games mentioned, I played Ghostbusters at home as much, if not more, than I did on the Nomad. While at the time I didn't know the game's design team background, it had a heavy Japanese influence in the gameplay and design. Bosses were crazy as fuck, easily putting Stay Puft to shame, and the music was so damn good that I cranked the Nomad to eleven. The game was very difficult to complete, and to remedy this I often brought along my Game Genie for the invincible code with the occasional infinite bombs code for fun. I loved this game so much that it was the first game review I posted on Segadojo back in 2000. Sadly, along with most of the site that review is long gone. :^(

Of course there are many other excellent games to play on the go with a Nomad, and had this been a top ten I wouldn't have been hard pressed to fill another five spots. This is where you, the reader, comes in!

Nomad Needs t'No: What is your favorite Genesis game to play on the go? And if you don't own a Nomad, what Genesis game would you love to have on the go?