It has long been said that history is written by the winners, often as a lament by the defeated side of a conflict. This is as true in videogame history as it is in any other field, and if you ever needed proof, Alex Kidd should be all you need. As a figurehead for the Master System, he has often been derided as a ‘Mario clone’ by fans of the more popular NES, and sidelined as ‘Sonic’s unsuccessful precursor’ by those who found Sega during the Mega Drive boom years. But if you free yourself of the need to make such comparisons, Alex Kidd In Miracle World stands out as a very ambitious game for its era, and one that is still a fondly remembered introduction to console gaming for many players of a certain age.
» Rieko Kodama is a Sega legend. She joined the company in 1984 and has worked across many of its landmark titles.