Any look at classic gaming should include a look at the classic Japanese gaming consoles as well. One such console is the SG-1000, which is the precursor to the Sega Mark III (which later became the Master System here in the U.S.). Games for this system are incredibly hard to find, but I’ve had the good fortune to stumble into a few of them. One of them is Golgo 13, an action game by Sega. This is not the same game as the Famicom/NES! The object of this game is to shoot out the windows of a hi-jacked passenger train, allowing the hostages to escape. The moving train is at the top of the screen, a cargo train (with low spots and gaps to allow your shots to pass through) is in the middle, and street traffic moves at the bottom of the screen, along with your agent, Golgo 13 (he’s hanging out of his car window with a gun). As if all of those obstacles aren’t enough, a pesky helicopter appears at later levels, armed and ready to take you out. Oh, did I mention the train is loaded with explosives? You must have perfect aim, because if you hit a black window, the whole train explodes! The game is also timed, so if you don’t get all of the hostages the train speeds off and you fail your mission. Golgo 13 is a fun game and your target-shooting skills are definitely put to the test, however the game gets difficult to early on, and the screens lack variety as you progress. Your crosshair gets lost in the graphics at times although that’s a minor complaint. Just playing this game makes me wonder what other games are out there for this system.

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