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Best third-party titles for your favorite consoles!
- SkyHighGam3r
- Mar 22, 2021
- 7 min read
When buying a console, there are a certain number of titles that you probably have in mind, and most likely bought the console for in the first place. For Sega it was probably games like Sonic, Shinobi, or Alex Kidd. For Nintendo, games like Mario, Zelda, or Metroid may come to mind. For Playstation it could be games like Twisted Metal, Syphon Filter, or God of War. These are what we call, first-party titles. Games made by the same company that brought us the very system they play on. However, there's another side to each platform's library. Games made by other companies such as Capcom, Data East, Konami, and countless other developers. These are what we call third-party titles. While most third-party titles are developed for multiple platforms side-by-side, there are some masterful works that are developed exclusive to one platform which helps to bring each console a unique appeal separate from its contemporaries. This month at Emuparadise, we put the spotlight on those games that are made by the other guys exclusively for a single system, and help to make each one uniquely wonderful.
System: Panasonic 3DO
Year: 1994 & 1996
The 3DO was released in an era where CD format games were still coming into their own. As such, the library was full of up-ports from the Sega CD, and titles that were also developed for the Saturn and Playstation. In addition the system's high price point caused a number of third-party developers to focus their efforts elsewhere. As a result most of the exclusive titles for the console are made by Studio 3DO, however there are a number of third-party entries as well that alone are worth owning the system for.
Included in this category is the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game "Slayer", developed by Lion Entertainment. Displaying 3D graphics reminiscent of DOOM or Wolfenstein, and mixing it with the themes and tropes of Dungeons & Dragons gave this game a rather unique feel for its time. Playing much like an update to the very classic 'corridor-RPG' sub-genre, this classic fantasy game was best showcased in their ability to randomly generate dungeons, which much like the paper & pencil game from which it is derived, allowed for a unique experience on the play-through.
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Year: 1987
The NES is home to a ton of great 3rd party exclusive games, but few are as iconic as Rad Racer. More than just a clone of Sega's OutRun, Rad Racer was meant to be a showcase of Square's 3D programming capability. 3D in this context meaning the visual effect of a game scrolling into the foreground, rather than side-to-side. Given that this game came out in 1987, this is done impressively well on the hardware, and as a result the game stands as one of the best in the racing genre on the NES. What's more though is it was also programmed for actual visual 3D technology, taking advantage of the Famicom 3D System, a Japanese exclusive peripheral that had you wearing special glasses to see 3D effects. Called "Highway Star" in Japan, this is one of the few games to support the device at all. Want more? Well in addition to a great sequel that was released as an exclusive US title "Rad Racer 2", both games played very well with the (in)famous Power Glove peripheral; something everyone who's ever seen the classic 1989 video game movie "The Wizard" will remember fondly.
Systems: Sony Playstation
Year: 1999
Developed by UEP Systems, Rising Zan is a title that was released quite late in the Playstation's lifespan. As such, it didn't get much coverage, and had no previous foothold to stand on; so it pretty much flew under the radar... but boy did we miss out! This 'super sexy' stylish game is an absolutely wacky collision of the cowboys of the wild west and the samurai of the east, wrapped up in all the sensations of a late 60's TV show, complete with a glorious opening sequence and song. It's campy, it's weird, it's hilariously self-ware, and it's just plain wonderful.
This third-person game plays a bit like an early predecessor to games like Devil May Cry. The gist of the plot see's you return to your western home-town to save the day as only Johnny... *cough* I mean... the "Super Ultra Sexy Hero Zan" can! With plenty of enemies and blood-spray to go around, you'll have fun switching between swordplay and gunplay with the occasional platforming section, and "all button events" that encourage all-out button mashing in a unique version of something akin to QTE events. The levels are surprisingly varied given the western setting, and the mesh of east/west is pulled off very well in the overall artistic design. Most importantly though, the game is one that you will remember and enjoy for a long time.
Systems: Sega Master System
Year: 1992
Everyone knows about the classic trilogy of Ninja Gaiden games on the NES, but if you lived in the US you may not have known the Master System had a Ninja Gaiden game as well. By the time 1992 had rolled around, the Genesis had already dominated the market in the region, and so it was released exclusively in the PAL region. What's great about this version is that it's an entirely separate game from the aforementioned Nintendo titles, rather than a straight or even altered port to Sega's system. While the difficulty is a bit more forgiving in this game, it still provides that skillful ninja challenge we've come to love and expect from the series, and the unique story and levels give you plenty of reason to visit this alongside the series more popular entries. Best of all, this takes full advantage of the increased color capabilities of the Master System so it's a visual 8-bit treat the whole way through!
Systems: Nintendo 64
Year: 1999
'Castlevania 64', as it's often called, is an oddball entry in this much beloved series. It came about in an era where developers were heavily pressured into making the transition from 2D to 3D, and that transition wasn't always as easy as Mario had made it look. This led to developers at Konami to take the 'classic' stage-based level design, and inject the normally action oriented gameplay of the series with a number of more adventure focused elements. The result, while rough around the edges, was a unique and atmospheric take on the franchise. The game allows you to pick, initially, from 2 characters with different attack styles. What's great about this choice is that each character has 2 unique levels, with some shared levels just have different progressions or story segments between the two. So you'll have to play as both to see the whole game, which is good because once you do there are 2 more unlockable characters once you've done that and they too have unique, albeit smaller, stories as well. Released in that exact same year "Legacy of Darkness" is often mistaken as an update to the first title. However it serves primarly as a prequel to the original while including a kind of remix of the original game as an unlockable bonus. This entry has a number of updates to the frame-rate and camera, as well as the ability to use the N64's expansion pack for higher resolution textures. The main character in this game also has the ability to turn into a werewolf, which adds some unique flavor as well. Much like the original title though, playing through leads you to unlock more characters from the previous title, mixing in levels and elements from this version of the game resulting in a remix of sorts.
Systems: Sega Dreamcast
Year: 1999 & 2000
Developer Capcom was a powerhouse presence one on the Dreamcast. Perhaps no series shows this more than Powerstone, a fighter that has you battling in arena style levels for the 'Power Stones' that, when 3 are collected, would allow you to transform into a super-human version of your character to unleash devastating attacks for a short time. The gameplay is fast paced, but easy to pick-up, and quite addicting and ends up being a great fighter for 2 players to battle it out. That cast is also a well rounded set of colorful characters that included 2 secret characters, bringing the total roster to 10, so everyone is sure to find a favorite.
Released the following year, "Powerstone 2" enhanced the experience by allowing 4-player battles. This, on top of the increased number of power stones per level made the fights a lot more hectic. On top of all that though, the levels were now larger and interactive, changing as the battle raged on. It also brought with it 4 extra characters that the original didn't have. Best of all, this game is just as easy to pickup and play as its predecessor, making it a blast at parties where everyone can scream and scramble over each other for those titular power stones.
Systems: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Year: 1991 & 1993
We said earlier that exclusive third-party games can give a system a unique and wonderful experience. Well, there are few better examples of that statement than ActRaiser on the SNES. Combining side-scrolling action gameplay with light sim-city style building isn't the kind of thing you normally see. It works very well here though, with the two styles of play working in tandem with each other to create an experience unlike any other.
One of the interesting aspects about this title is how it differs between regions. While the overall plot more or less states in the original Japanese that you are God, fighting Satan, western Nintendo censorship led to this concept being downplayed quite a bit. In addition, the US version has a 'professional mode' which consists only of the side-scrolling elements that can be unlocked after a first play through. Not interested in ever playing the sim-levels? Well the PAL version of the game has the side-scrolling mode unlocked from the get-go.
Speaking of only side-scrolling, the sequel "ActRaiser 2" ditched the sim-levels all-together, and instead focused all its efforts on improving the action levels. This led to a great deal of new abilities like gliding, and a far more versatile arsenal of magic attacks. These changes end up making the sequel itself distinct from the previous entry all-together, but none-the-less it stands as a unique title you can only play on the Super Nintendo.
We hope this list has shown you that even "the other guy's" are just as important as the big name's titles. We have only been able to scratch the surface of third-party exclusives today, but whatever console you game on, there's bound to be a whole set of these titles just waiting to be played.
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