Developer: Game Refuge Inc.
Publisher: Electronic Arts
System: Sega Genesis
Release Date: January 14th, 1994
Genre: Action/strategy
Players: 1-4
I present to you one of the best games made for the Sega Genesis that did not receive it's proper day in the sun: General Chaos. I stumbled upon this game during the heyday of Sega Channel (which I'll save for another Retro Thursday) and it was one of the best experiences I had on a Genesis.
Developed by Game Refuge Inc and published by EA (before they became the 3rd most hated company in America) you play as a group of rag-tag commandos pitted against an opposing group of rag-tag commandos. The objective is simple: Win multiple battles at various locations before attacking and capturing your enemy's capital.
The game features multi-player for up to 4 people, single player versus mode, or a single-player campaign. Starting out, a player selects the blue team (General Chaos) or the red team (General Havoc) before picking a "squad" to take into battle. There are four pre-assembled "squads" to select from:
Assault Team: Gunner x1, Launcher x1, Chucker x1, Scorcher x1, Blaster x1
Commandos: Gunner x1, Chucker x1
Demolition Squad: Gunner x2, Launcher x2, Chucker x1
Brute Force Troop: Gunner x5
Five different classes of soldiers make up these squads:
Gunner: Sub-machine Gun class. Medium attack range, high rate of fire. Gun can potentially jam for a period of time during a firefight.
Launcher: Essentially the sniper class. Long attack range, slow rate of fire. Can randomly one-shot an opponent and destroy objective targets.
Chucker: Grenade class. Medium attack range, very low rate of fire. Can damage/kill multiple enemies, be thrown over cover, and destroy objective targets.
Scorcher: Flame-thrower class. Shortest attack range of all classes. Extremely dangerous, as they can damage/kill multiple enemies quicker than any other class. Can randomly insta-kill an opponent, reducing them to a pile of ash. Weapon will be temporarily disabled if exposed to water.
Blaster: Dynamite class. Extremely weak, due to their slow rate of fire and short attack range. Can one-shot an opponent and destroy objective targets.
Each team has positives and negatives to consider when selecting. Once a squad and battlefield is selected, you are thrown into combat against the opposing squad. There are ammo/supply drops, bonus objectives, and over 50 battle settings like a city, crossroad, or the forest. And each setting has different advantages and obstacles for players to use or avoid. In addition to all the gunfire and grenades, there is hand-to-hand combat at random times if two players get too close to each other. You win by mashing the face buttons to punch and kick your foe or block their attacks. Though randomly, your opponent will take the coward's way out and shoot you, robbing you of your victory. Will you take all of these factors into account, wipe out the opposing team, and win the battle? Or will you lose and allow your sworn enemy to come one step closer to taking over your capital? The choice is yours.
This was one of the first real multi-player experiences I had with my friends. We could play 2-player games on the NES together, but there weren't many 4 player games to choose from. Once General Chaos was discovered, we had a game everyone could play. I'm bummed that it has not received the Xbox Live Arcade treatment, as it has held up extremely well over the past 20 years. The gameplay is action-packed, the multi-player is fun, and the music is some of the best on the Genesis. The controls are a little odd when you start out, but there is a training mode you can play to get acquainted with them prior to entering battle.
If you have access to a Sega Genesis or have any knowledge of Genesis Emulation, I urge you to grab General Chaos and see what you've missed out on. It's honestly one of the hidden gems in the Sega Genesis library. From the first time I played it when I was 10 years old to now, General Chaos has become one of my all-time favorite games. Check it out!
-ML
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