Weaponlord: Sega Genesis review

May 14, 2016, at 6:43 p.m. – This time I am going to review a truly under-the-radar gem that surprisingly few people know about. The game to which I refer is Weaponlord. While the Sega had many 2D fighters, Weaponlord was in a category of its own. Few fighting games for the Genesis, or any system for that matter, can match up with the utter uniqueness of Weaponlord. In fact, I can’t think of any 16-bit fighter to compare it to… not one.

A little background info on how I came across this absolutely kick ass title: During the summer of 1984, I went to see the epic blockbuster Conan the Destroyer. I was six at the time and it left a lasting image in my mind. I loved it. For an impressionable young man, there was nothing cooler than watching a roided-out, gap-toothed Arnold Schwarzenegger go toe to toe with NBA great, Wilt “I slept with over 20,000 women” Chamberlain. It was so awesome I had my mom buy me some Conan comic books so I could continue the adventures of the badass barbarian.

That said, it was a no-brainer when I saw an obviously Conan-inspired game at the local game store, I had to play it. I rented it, played it, and loved it. I still have that copy to this day and it still sees use.

Weaponlord Review

Weaponlord is a weapon based 2D fighter released in 1995 by Namco and developed by Visual concepts; for both the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. While I can’t say for certain that it is the only (or even first) weapon-based fighter on the Genesis, it is the only one I have ever played.

The game never garnered the success it deserved, as it seemed to get lost in the Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat craze that dominated the console fighting game world at the time. It’s really a sad thing, as I would have loved to have seen a sequel developed. Alas, it was not to be.

Let’s start with graphics, and Weaponlord’s graphics are gorgeous; maybe gorgeous is the wrong adjective for a game that is about blood, guts, decapitations, and half-spider demigods. The graphics are, well, I can’t think of a better adjective than awesome. Wait, yeah I can…fucking awesome. You can cut pieces of clothing off your opponent, their hair, and even separate their brain from their skull (after separating the head from the body).

Graphically, this might be the Genesis’s best game. It’s unreal to see how well it stands up today. There is the occasional slowdown, but it’s not game-breaking in the least. Besides, when you fit that much awesome into your game’s graphics, you deserve a pass.

The gameplay is also stellar but very difficult. This game isn’t for the faint of heart. Being a weapon based fighter changes the dynamics of the combo system. The combo system takes a lot of getting used to, as it is based on timing, particularly parrying and countering, and requires legitimate skill.

Patience is a virtue with this one kiddies. Expect to get your ass kicked a lot. Combos are the name of the game and a skilled player can combo you from start to bloody finish. If you are a button masher, prepare to hate life. Once you get good though, the game is a blast.

There’s nothing more awesome than kicking ass with Korr, grunting and growling like a beast, or imitating Arnold which is even less intelligible. This is a man’s game, baby. GRRRRRR, very GRRRRR.

Look, anyone that hasn’t played this game needs to go pick up a copy, slam it into the Genesis (or SNES if you prefer), and start slashing and slicing. This game kicks more ass than almost any fighting game from the 16-bit era. If you are a fan of weapon-based fighters like Soul Caliber or Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi (just kidding, fuck that game), or you just like applying the coup de grâce with a nice beheading, then Weaponlord is the game for you.

I’ve decided to start giving games an overall score, and this game is a 9/10, like Keira Knightley in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, or the number of girls Wilt Chamberlain takes to bed with him at night.

This is a must have game Genesis fans. Pick this one up and let us know what you think of it.