Sega Menacer Light Gun Review
The Sega Mega Drive Light Gun sank fast, let’s check out the gun and two of the three games released for it; the Menacer 6-in-1 cartridge and Terminator 2: The Arcade Game.
The Sega Menacer is the official Light Gun released for the Mega Drive (or Genesis) console. Less of a product designed for gamers, more of a business move to allow Sega to keep up with Nintendo and their Super Scope.
The Sega Menacer was not well supported by Sega and there were no official Sega-produced Menacer releases after the initial Menacer 6-in-1 pack-in. The ‘burden’ fell onto third-party developers to find a way to use the mighty light gun.
Video game light guns have had ups and downs. But they’ve always been an absolute blast and one of the best ways to experience the arcade at home. Between the excitement of Light Guns during the 8-Bit era (Duck Hunt, Operation W.O.L.F, Rescue Mission) and its return to grace in the mid-to-late 90’s (with games like House of the Dead, Virtua Cop, Time Crisis and Point Blank) the Sega Menacer marks one of the lowest points in history for the humble Light Gun.
Needless to say, even at the time of release, the Sega Menacer wasn’t received well and the lack of titles ensured it never had the chance to gain traction with gamers.
I’ve got a soft spot for the Sega Menacer. As a kid, I remember my mother letting me pick whatever I wanted at Cash Converters as a treat. This was basically the coolest thing I saw. And even with the pack-in, it was fun setting it up if we could manage to find the batteries.
Sega Menacer 6-in-1
The pack-in-cartridge had some ambitious ideas during production. A range of non-violent shooting mini-games that incorporated various Sega franchises.
The Toejam and Earl game – Ready, Aim, Tomatoes! is what’s left of the initial concept. Throwing tomatoes at a range of enemies from the original Toejam & Earl game. Everything else on the cartridge is an original game with more focus on war and shooting.
The other 5 games on the cartridge fall really short. Each one takes on a slightly different approach, but they all remain equally repetitious.
T2: The Arcade Game
The Terminator 2 Arcade Game marks one of the only reasons to own a Sega Menacer. It’s a solid arcade port of Terminator 2: Judgement Day and the gameplay is fast and consistent. There’s a good mix of levels from the Terminator 2 movie, enemies and even allies from the resistance to protect.
Without the Menacer, T2: The Arcade Game is bearable but for games that can use the Menacer, it’s 2-Player, it’s cheap and it’s not the pack-in!
Body Count
This is the final cartridge based light gun game, it’s easily the best on offer and a loose cartridge may potentially run more expensive than the Menacer itself. Only released in PAL territories, Body Count is a great example of what the Sega Mega Drive could do.
Body Count is a lot of fun, I just wish it was more accessible. The game supports multi-player similar to T2. So one player on the Menacer, another using a control pad. In terms of Sega Menacer games, this is the single standout title. Bright, vibrant graphics. Plenty of gore. Totally unique to the Sega Mega Drive.
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