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Action 52

Sega Genesis

Sega Genesis

Action 52 features 52 different games in a single cartridge. Some of them are the same as those included with the identically entitled NES compilation, though most are unique to this release. The games are selected from a coloured menu and are mostly side scrolling, platform or shooter action gam...

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Developer
Active Enterprises

Released on
1992

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Sega Genesis

Requirements
Sega Genesis

Downloads
Compilation

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

Action 52 features 52 different games in a single cartridge. Some of them are the same as those included with the identically entitled NES compilation, though most are unique to this release. The games are selected from a coloured menu and are mostly side scrolling, platform or shooter action games. Each game is written in one colour, yellow meaning “expert”, purple “intermediate”, green “beginner”, blue “two players” and white “special”.

The games included are:
1. Go Bonkers
2. Darksyne
3. Dyno Tennis
4. Ooze
5. Star Ball
6. Sidewinder
7. Daytona
8. 15 Puzzle
9. Sketch
10. Star Duel
11. Haunted Hills
12. Alfredo
13. The Cheetahmen
14. Skirmish
15. Depth Charge
16. Minds Eye
17. Alien Attack
18. Billy Bob
19. Sharks
20. Knockout
21. Intruder
22. Echo
23. Freeway
24. Mousetrap
25. Ninja
26. Slalom
27. Dauntless
28. Force One
29. Spidey
30. Appleseed
31. Skater
32. Sunday Drive
33. Star Evil
34. Air Command
35. Shootout
36. Bombs Away
37. Speedboat
38. Dedant
39. G Fighter
40. Man At Arms
41. Norman
42. Armor Battle
43. Magic Bean
44. Apache
45. Paratrooper
46. Sky Avenger
47. Sharpshooter
48. Meteor
49. Black Hole
50. The Boss
51. First Video Game (Pong)
52. Challenge (the most difficult levels of each previous game)

The game also offers a music demo screen and a randomise, which picks a game at random.

Action 52

Overview & History

Released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis by Active Enterprises, *Action 52* is a legendary multi-game cartridge that promised an unprecedented library of fifty-two distinct titles. Following the infamous, buggy NES precursor, the Genesis port was developed as an ambitious attempt to deliver a massive arcade-style anthology on a single 16-bit ROM. While it never lived up to its grandiose television commercials—most notoriously remembered for the unreleased "Cheetahmen II" and the $200 price tag—it remains a fascinating artifact of rushed cartridge development, featuring bizarre surreal art styles, utterly nonsensical storylines, and notoriously erratic collision detection that turned every digital romp into an exercise in pure survival.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Because *Action 52* crams fifty-two games into one menu, the gameplay mechanics change wildly from stage to stage. You pilot spaceships in vertical scrolling shooters like *Fire Breather*, control bizarre bouncing blobs in platformers like *Bubblegum*, and even dodge bizarre environmental hazards in puzzle-action hybrids. Characters generally possess basic physics—running left and right, jumping over bottomless pits, and firing rudimentary projectiles like energy blasts, rocks, or boomerangs. There are no save states or password systems; you simply select a game from the numerical list, grapple with the often sluggish and unpredictable controls, and attempt to conquer as many distinct stages as possible before losing your limited lives against glitchy enemies and impenetrable level design.