Action 52
From Sega Retro
Action 52 | ||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Mega Drive | ||||||||||
Publisher: Active Enterprises | ||||||||||
Developer: FarSight Technologies, Nu Romantic Productions (sound) | ||||||||||
Game total: 52 | ||||||||||
Sound driver: GEMS | ||||||||||
Genre: Compilation | ||||||||||
Number of players: 1-2 | ||||||||||
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Action 52 is an unlicensed collection of 52 original games on one cartridge which was originally released on the NES by Active Enterprises. It was originally sold for $199 US dollars under the guise of each game being worth $3, and all of the games are infamous for being of terrible quality. Later in 1993, Active contracted FarSight Technologies to create a new Action 52 for the Sega Mega Drive.
A Super NES version was also advertised in the same year, but it was cancelled presumably due to Active Enterprises' bankruptcy.
Contents
Games included
Each game is color coded, with a legend on the first screen when the cartridge is booted up: Expert, Intermediate, Beginner, Two Player, Special.
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1: Bonkers (expert) |
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You control a green ball that will bounce all the way up and all the way down on a vertical field. You can move it left and right with the D-pad. The ball will destroy blocks of matching colors; touching a grey block with a different color will change the ball's color (however, the ball cannot be changed back to green using the gray blocks with green in the middle). Hitting a grey block with a black + in the middle will make you lose one ball and revert the ball color to green. After all colored blocks are removed, simply remove the remaining blocks with green in the middle to clear the level. Also worth mentioning, this is one of the few games of the cart to have a title screen. | |
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2: Darksyne (expert) |
You are a ship stuck in a room with enemies. As in Asteroids, you are bound by gravity, and holding ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
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3: Dyno-Tennis (two player) |
Simple tennis game. Player 1 is the orange dinosaur; Player 2 is the purple one. ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
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4: Ooze (expert) |
Platforming run-and-gun where you play as the Ooze Boy. ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
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5: Star Ball (expert) |
Simple pinball game. ![]() ![]() | |
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6: Sidewinder (expert) |
After Burner/G-LOC clone, except you can move freely to the left and to the right (with scrolling too!). ![]() | |
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7: Daytona (expert) |
Simple 3D racing game. Hold ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
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8: 15 Puzzle (expert) |
...15 puzzle. D-pad to move cursor; ![]() | |
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9: Sketch (expert) |
Line art canvas. D-pad moves the pencil. Hold ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
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10: Star Duel (two player) |
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11: Haunted Hills (expert) |
Known as "Haunted Hill" in-game. | |
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12: Alfredo & the Fettucinni's (expert) |
Known as "Alfredo" in-game. | |
200px | 13: The Cheetahmen (expert) |
Save all the encage cheetah kittens in every level. ![]() ![]() | |
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14: Skirmish (two player) |
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15: Depth Charge (expert) |
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16: Minds Eye (expert) |
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17: Alien Attack (expert) |
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18: Billy Bob (expert) |
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19: Sharks (intermediate) |
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20: Knockout (two player) |
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21: Intruder (intermediate) |
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22: Echo (intermediate) |
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23: Freeway (intermediate) |
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24: Mousetrap (intermediate) |
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25: Ninja (intermediate) |
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26: Slalom (intermediate) |
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27: Dauntless (intermediate) |
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28: Force One (intermediate) |
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29: Spidey (intermediate) |
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30: Appleseed (intermediate) |
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31: Street Skater (intermediate) |
Known simply as "Skater" in the game. | |
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32: Sunday Driver (intermediate) |
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33: Star Evil (intermediate) |
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34: Air Command (intermediate) |
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35: Shootout (intermediate) |
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36: Bombs Away (intermediate) |
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37: Speed Boat (beginner) |
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38: Dedant (beginner) |
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39: G-Force Fighter (beginner) |
Referred as "G Fighter" in-game | |
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40: Man At Arms (beginner) |
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41: Norman (beginner) |
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42: Armor Battle (two player) |
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43: Magic Bean (beginner) |
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44: Apache (beginner) |
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45: Paratrooper (beginner) |
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46: Sky Avenger (beginner) |
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47: Sharp Shooter (beginner) |
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48: Meteor (beginner) |
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49: Black Hole (beginner) |
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50: The Boss (beginner) |
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51: 1st Video Game (two player) |
Referred as "First Game" at the in-game menu. The game itself is a rendition of Pong (which post-dates the first "video game" by many years). | |
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52: Action 52 Challenge (special) |
Simply referred as "Challenge" in-game, is an endurance test which puts the player into a random series of the highest levels of the other remaining 46 single-player games. |
All games have pause with START ; hitting while paused returns to the title screen.
Promotional material
also published in:
- Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)[2]
Physical scans
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||
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|
40 | |
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Based on 2 reviews |
Technical information
ROM dump status
System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
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✔ |
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2MB | 1993-05 | Cartridge |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 GamePro, "May 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 16
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 359
- ↑ GamePro, "March 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 52 (54)
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 25
- ↑ GamePro, "March 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 54