The bump combat system won't be for everyone, but it is pretty satisfying once it clicks. Ys I is a very short and sweet adventure. I found Ys II to be a lot more frustrating. I liked the addition of magic to spice up the gameplay but the game is far more linear in its progression, and the dungeons are way too big and labyrinthine to be easy to navigate. The final dungeon is the worst case of this being essentially half of Ys II. Bosses in both games can be hit or miss. Sometimes they have fun patterns, other times you can run in a circle and kill the boss before it kills you. The final boss of Ys I is notably bugged when playing at 60 fps making it very difficult. If you are a fan of old school adventure games, you'll probably like this.

This is probably my 200th or more time playing this game.

I love this game. I love it it so much, it's my username. I love it so much, I go back to it all the time when I feel like garbage and I need a pick me up.

I know the ins and outs of how this game ticks. You can glitch out the other drivers if you hit your turbo right as you pass them, making them go as fast as you permanently.

There are many secret routes on tracks I never see anyone bring up. For example, on stage 2, a route will take you to the pyramids. If you pay attention, right at the start, the red lines on the left disappear briefly and if you turn into it, it will take you on a secret route that's faster and it's a tunnel through a pyramid.

Something that blew my mind back then was they had your car reflect the lighting of the tunnels. An example is when you enter a tunnel and the lights are purple, your car now is tinted purple and darkened a bit as well as all the other cars inside said tunnel. I had never seen a Genesis game do that before.

The music has been stuck in my head for years and I find myself listening to it while I do work or chores. It's one of the better Genesis soundtracks and I wish more people loved it.

The game takes place in the future far off year of 2019 and things aren't bleak, but hints of things being messed up are apparent in some of the stages. Forests completely burned down, a city covered in rising ocean water and destroyed, water that is oddly colored, and newly built cities look like something you would expect from cyberpunk. Not every stage has the futuristic details but I have always thought it was an artistic choice.

This is the best OutRun spin off in my humble opinion, and it didn't even start development as one.

Is it the nostalgia talking? Absolutely yes that's part of it. I've owned this game on a cartridge since I was 5 years old. It has been part of my life for over 25 years. Yes, my bias is heavily showing.

But I honestly think this is one of the best racing games on the Genesis and I will never forget it.

Play Outrun 2019.