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Real-time strategy is one of the most heart-pounding and intense experiences in gaming. It's not
very often that the phrase is uttered in the same sentence as Sega Genesis, however, but
one of the system's great games does in fact shed light on the genre and takes it for a
fun and creative ride. It's called Gain Ground, a Sega original that debuted in arcades in
1988 and made its way onto the Genesis and Mega Drive systems in 1992. This game has
an interesting backstory. About 300 years into the future from today, humans have somehow
come to a period of sustained world peace, and yet, the Federated Government STILL wants
to mess with it by developing a supercomputer that has gone haywire and is now holding hostages
inside of its man-made world of war. The RTS elements in this case are not used to control
a great number of units. Instead you control one of twenty combatants, each with a minor
attack and a strong attack. How you use both is crucial to your survival, since you are
greatly outnumbered by your enemies. Along with attack ability, each character moves
at a certain speed, handles their weapon in either hand or ambidextrously, and may have
a special attack that fires in a specific direction. These preferences for each character
is exactly what makes this game so dynamic and unlike any other Genesis game I've played,
providing a fantastic balance between shoot-em-up action and battle strategy that is simply
top notch. Even though you may have bombs and bullets against your enemies' crossbows
and throwing knives, the numbers don't lie. At times you'll feel overwhelmed, especially
if you're going solo. So don't be like the lonely game reviewer. Take a friend along
for the ride in Gain Ground for the Genesis, also available on the Sega Genesis Classic
Collection on Steam.