Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!

n/a

Mega Drive Game Gear
Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega Technical Institute
Supporting companies: Interactive Designs (production)
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1992-09 $49.9949.99 1035 EU 1992-09 1035 PT 1992 MDJ1035 UK 1992-10-07 £39.9939.99 1035 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x CA 199x BR 1992-11 AS 199x US 1993 $34.9534.95 2429 BR 199x 075270

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude! is a Sega Mega Drive action platform game developed by Interactive Designs and published by Sega. First released in September 1992, it was later ported to the Sega Game Gear by the same developer the following year, although a planned European release of this version failed to materialise.

The game takes place on a number of Caribbean islands and features a calypso music soundtrack.

Story

The eponymous protagonist of the story is Greendog, the player character, a laid-back, cool surfer and skater with a mop of bleached blonde hair. He has surfed most of the biggest waves around, including off the coast of Australia, California and in the Mediterranean, and is always in search of the biggest waves which will give him the biggest thrill and he cares for little else in life. He does not say much except "dude" and "cool."

One day, while surfing in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of the Grenada islands, Greendog is knocked off his surfboard by the biggest freak wave he has ever seen, and falls unconscious in the sea. When he wakes on the beach, he is apparently in another version of our world, or at least some form of very vivid dreamworld, and a mysterious and apparently magical gold pendant is tied around his neck and he is unable to remove it. His girlfriend Bambi finds him and explains to Greendog that the pendant is of Aztec origin and carries a terrible curse; it dooms the wearer to be attacked by animals and wild primeval creatures and, worst of all, prohibits surfing.

The only way that Greendog can lift the curse is to travel to a lost Aztec civilization and track down six pieces of a sacred Aztec treasure which were scattered across the Caribbean Islands.

Gameplay

Mega Drive version

Island Hopping

The game involves traversing several side-scrolling levels. and move Greendog around, jumps, and crouches. The cursed pendant causes animals and locals to freak out and become hostile when Greendog approaches them. Greendog is armed with only a flying disc (a Frisbee) that flies a short distance in front of him before returning. He can shoot it at enemies to destroy them or at various objects. throws the disc, and + throws the disc diagonally upward in the direction that Greendog is facing. Greendog can throw the disc while jumping or crouching. Every 10,000 points, Greendog receives a Flying Disc Bonus (announced by a chime), which temporarily increases the power of the disc.

Greendog has a damage meter that goes up as he takes damage from enemies and hazards (as opposed to a hit point meter that goes down). The player can find items that reduce the damage meter by attacking enemies and objects such as totem poles and garbage cans. If Greendog fills the damage meter, he loses his flying disc; he loses a life if he does not collect it quickly or takes additional damage.

Greendog can find Power Items throughout the levels that temporarily enhance his flying disc, freeze enemies, or provide invincibility. He can store up to four of them in slots at the top of the screen. The button uses the rightmost item.

The game has some homages to earlier side-scrolling adventure games, such as Pitfall! as the character often has to swing on vines to advance and many of the levels take place in a tropical jungle or in an ancient Mesoamerican temple. Greendog has numerous contraptions and toys, such as a "pedal-copter," inline skates, and a skateboard, which are used to complete some of the levels. When piloting the pedal-copter, punches and ascends. Greendog's dog Fetch appears at certain points and can hinder by trying to eat food items or help by attacking enemies.

Items

Junk food

	Corn Dog
	Awards 100 bonus points.
	Hot Dog
	Awards 100 bonus points.
	Ice Cream
	Awards 100 bonus points.
	Pizza
	Awards 500 bonus points.
	Donut
	Awards 500 bonus points.
	Burger
	Awards 1,000 bonus points.
	Fries
	Awards 1,000 bonus points.
	Cola
	Reduces the damage meter.
	Bone
	If Fetch grabs a bone, he stops going after the food items. If Greendog grabs the bone, Fetch attacks nearby enemies instead.
	Extra Life
	Gives the player an extra life.

Power items

	Super Disc
	Conjures a flying disc that hovers in the air and automatically seeks out and attacks enemies as it finds them. Lasts only for a short time. Greendog can still use his regular flying disc while this item is active.
	Clock
	Freezes all enemies temporarily. Frozen enemies can still harm Greendog if he touches them but can still be attacked as well.
	Umbrella Hat
	Provides Greendog with temporary invulnerability.

Stages

Each stage ends with an Ancient Aztec Ruins segment where Greendog finds a piece of treasure. In between stages, there are "Island Hopping" segments where Greendog travels over the sea in his pedal-copter to the next island.

	Grenada
	Mustique
	Curaçao
	Jamaica
	Saba
	St. Vincent

Game Gear version

The Game Gear version has the same mechanics as the Mega Drive version. Greendog is moved with and , throws his flying disc with , jumps with , and crouches with . He cannot throw his flying disc upward in this version. To use Power Items, the player must pause the game with  START  and press . The pause overlay is also the only way to check Greendog's health, lives, and score since these elements are not visible during gameplay.

The game has all of the stages from the Mega Drive version except St. Vincent; instead, its Aztec Ruins level has been added to Saba. Greendog's pedal-copter (and the corresponding Island Hopping segments) and inline skates are also absent. Some additional challenges have been added to the Aztec Ruins skateboarding levels, such as falling boulders and dark sections.

Items

Junk food

	Corn Dog
	Awards 100 bonus points.
	Ice Cream
	Awards 100 bonus points.
	Pizza
	Awards 500 bonus points.
	Donut
	Awards 500 bonus points.
	Burger
	Awards 1,000 bonus points.
	Fries
	Awards 1,000 bonus points.
	Cola
	Reduces the damage meter.
	Bone
	If Fetch grabs a bone, he stops going after the food items. If Greendog grabs the bone, Fetch attacks nearby enemies instead.
	Extra Life
	Gives the player an extra life.

Power items

	Super Disc
	Conjures a flying disc that hovers in the air and automatically seeks out and attacks enemies as it finds them. Lasts only for a short time. Greendog can still use his regular flying disc while this item is active.
	Clock
	Freezes all enemies temporarily. Frozen enemies can still harm Greendog if he touches them but can still be attacked as well.
	Umbrella Hat
	Provides Greendog with temporary invulnerability.

Stages

	Grenada
	Mustique
	Curaçao
	Jamaica
	Saba

History

The titular Greendog, American surfer Ric Green.

Conceptualized by Sega of America producer Michael Latham around characters from the obscure 1988 board game Surf Trip (created by surfer Ric Green and illustrated by American artist Cam de Leon), Greendog was partly inspired by Latham’s experiences growing up in the Caribbean. While the producer had greater ambitions for the game's design, Sega of America’s marketing department were not as convinced, and Interactive Designs were only provided half the expected budget and a short five-month development cycle.

Legacy

The game's perceived attitude has seen it become the star of community parody, notably seeing a resurgence in popularity thanks to YouTube personality Joe Redifer of Game Sack. First appearing in episode 154, and being introduced with an eagerly 1990s-"attitude"-filled exclamation of "Green-DAAAWG", Redifer’s exaggerated pronunciation has since become associated with the game’s modern identity.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

• Creator: Ric Green
• Developer: Interactive Designs
• Artists: Maureen Kringen, Doug Nishimura, Joan Igawa
• Programmers: Christopher Warner, Robert Morgan, John Kuwaye
• Music: Paul Gadbois
• Game Design: Michael Latham, Christopher Warner, Ala Diaz, Doug Nishimura, Steve Ross
• Marketing Support: Madeline Canepa, Scott Steinberg
• Test Manager: Steve Apour
• Lead Tester: Gerald Deyoung
• Testers: Jef Feltman, Javone Alonzo, Joel Limmer, Tina Esposito, Tami Maxwell, Jeffrey Kessler, Scott Rohde, Vincent Nason, Conan Tigard, Steve Patterson, Ben Szymkowiak
• Producer: Michael Latham

Source:

In-game credits

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• Creator: Ric Green
• Developer: Interactive Designs
• Producer: Michael Latham
• Game Design: Michael Latham, Christopher Warner, Ala Diaz, Doug Nishimura, Steve Ross
• Programmers: Christopher Warner, Robert Morgan, John Kuwaye
• Artists: Maureen Kringen, Doug Nishimura, Joan Igawa
• Music: Paul Gadbois
• Test Manager: Steve Apour
• Lead Tester: Gerald Deyoung
• Testers: Jef Feltman, Joel Limmer, Tami Maxwell, Scott Rohde, Conan Tigard, Javone Alonzo, Tina Esposito, Jeffrey Kessler, Vincent Nason, Steve Patterson, Ben Szymkowiak
• Marketing Support: Madeline Canepa, Scott Steinberg
• Manual: Hanshaw Ink.

Source:

US manual

Game Gear version

• Programmer Dudes: Tony Ikeda, Roy Pitchford, Bob Morrison, Terry Kirch
• Shreddin' Tech Support: Frank Lucero
• Killer Project Manager: Nancy Nakamoto
• Way Cool Producer: Scott Rohde
• Wild Game Design: Michael Latham
• Legendary Artists: Kevin Lee, William Kier, Isabel Przytarski, Barbara Meyers, Michael Chung, Jim Freed, Sandy Christensen
• Groovy Tunes: Paul Gadbois, Dave Delia
• Lead Test Boy: Ivan Foong
• Other Test Dudes and Dudettes: Heather Meigs, Erik Wahlberg, Dante Anderson, Mark Paniagua, Jeff Todd, Katy Weathers, Nick Masturzo, Tim Spengler

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Television advertisements

File:Greendog The Beached Surfer Dude! MD US TVAdvert.mp4

US TV advert

File:Greendog The Beached Surfer Dude! MD US TVAdvert.mp4

File:Greendog MD UK TVAdvert.mp4

UK TV advert

File:Greendog MD UK TVAdvert.mp4

Print advertisements

Print advert in Mega Force (ES) #6: "Octubre 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Hobby Consolas (ES) #13: "Octubre 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Video Games (DE) #1992-11: "11/92" (1992-10-28)

Print advert in Mega Force (ES) #7: "Noviembre 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Hobby Consolas (ES) #14: "Noviembre 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Force (SE) #1992-02: "2/92" (1992-11-19)
also published in:

• Sega Force (SE) #1993-01: "1/93" (1993-01-14)

Photo gallery

Ric Green's "Surf Trip: The Board Game"

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Autographed copy of Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 60 Consoles + (FR) 70 Cool Gamer (RU) 50 Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) 84 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 65 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 60 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 40 Excalibur (CZ) 70 GameFan (US) 72 Game Power (IT) 63 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 98 Game Informer (US) 85 Hobby Consolas (ES) 89 Joypad (FR) 88 Joystick (FR) NTSC-U 90 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) 70 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 70 Mega (UK) PAL 57 Mega Force (FR) 85 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 73 MegaTech (UK) PAL 56 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 49 Player One (FR) 90 Play Time (DE) 73 Power Up! (UK) 73 Sega Power (UK) PAL 68 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 82 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 80 Sega Force (SE) 81 Sega Force (UK) 72 Supergame (BR) NTSC-U 71 Supergame (BR) 71 Supersonic (FR) 78 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 70 User (GR) PAL 82 Video Games (DE) 63

	72
Based on 36 reviews

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!

Mega Drive, US (Made in Japan Cart)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (Assembled in USA cart)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, UK
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, PT
Cover

Mega Drive, SE rental (HENT black)
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover

Mega Drive, AS†
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, CA
Cover
Cart

Game Gear version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score GamePro (US) NTSC-U 75

	75
Based on 1 review

Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart

Game Gear, BR
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!/Technical information.

External links

• Surf's Up article by Roxanne Irvin about Surf Trip The Board Game from Orange Coast Magazine, Volume 15, issue #7 (May 1989)
• Interview (2007-02-09) with Cam de Leon at www.myartspace.com (archived)
• Interview (2010-03) with Cam de Leon at www.salival.fr (archived)
• www.happypencil.com (Cam de Leon's official website)
• Discussion at eyzmaster.blogspot.com (archived)