bronzeshield

So, now we have:

Got it: Atlantis no Nazo.

I had similar feelings about the game: frustrating, but with no penalty for failure, you can slog through it. And there are occasional moments that make you feel clever for getting past them. Also, that makes 100 games left in the regular list, right? That's always a nice milestone. I don't have a lot of bandwidth to contribute right now but if things continue to progress, I'll try to get back on Sky Kid or Castelian (hard mode) or something else.

I believe I did, yes! I haven't seen or read Ready Player One but I'm glad to hear that a great game got its due therein.

You've got it! I took a screenshot from the inventory screen to meme on my screen name -- -- since, funnily enough, shields are nearly useless in the game due to a bug, so almost no one equips them during regular gameplay. This would be a more representative screenshot: Amazing game, by the way -- a real-time, wireframe-3D RPG that came out in 1982 and was unlike anything else on the market. I did a no-death, no-save run a while back that had my heart pounding. Anyone who hasn't played it should try the browser version (https://daggorath.online/), though I still love it best on original hardware, artifact colors and all.

Another hint: this game was originally released on cartridge as a system exclusive. Some would call it the system's killer app. Many years later, it received a slew of unofficial ports after the source code was made available by the programmer. It even has a dedicated site where you can play it in your browser.

None of the above! Here's my next screenshot: \ And another clue: this game has a single, in-name-only sequel that's notoriously terrible.

Not Crystalis. But there are indeed two or more bronze shields in this game!

Not Shining in the Darkness, though I did enjoy that game quite a bit. A small hint: this has been cited (by a very knowledgeable source) as the best game in its genre in the year of its release.

Not Dragon Warrior (or any game in the DW series), no.

Here's mine:

Twisted Metal 2?

I immediately think "Genesis port of Mortal Kombat II" but I don't think that's correct.

Here's the full-size game window BTW:

Just to finish up with mine, since no one named it outright, it's Alfred Hitchock Presents for the 3DO. Here's the third screenshot I was going to post: I thought seeing Hitchcock would be a truly WTF moment for people who remember who he is. So, this truly odd piece of software has a Japanese-overdubbed Hitchcock guiding you through a Concentration game and a roulette game, because reasons. The problem is, the Concentration game doesn't stop the timer for disk access when it's seeking the stupid FMV clips it has you sit through -- so you're living and dying by your 3DO's lens. And since you're probably not playing an original of this exceedingly-rare disc, when you're on Hard mode and have only 60 seconds, it's basically impossible unless you get everything perfectly on your first try. (It's probably impossible with a real disc too -- I use great CDRs and my system has no trouble reading them -- so you might need an ODE to have a shot at beating Hard. Or emulation, of course.) Anyway the game is utter crap but I did once spend several hours trying to beat Hard. And failed!

The fun of this one was going to be the big reveal when I posted the third screenshot and you could see the man himself (for those who even remember who he is). Can't do that right now since I'm at work and posting from my phone during a break, but I will in a bit. Also, to be clear, I'm posting games with which I have significant personal experience. Buttsubushi and Warrior of Rome II, I played the hell out of both of those -- and the current game, I banged my head against the wall trying to beat Hard mode in its exceedingly limited gameplay, only to discover just how broken it is. Will elaborate later...

It's a very weird one. It's also easily the worst game I've played on its host platform -- much worse than that other Worst Game Ever on that system (since that one is at least amusing).

Another hint: the celebrity had been dead for over a decade when this game was released.

Also, a hint: a real-life celebrity appears in this game -- but that person's real speaking voice isn't used.

No correct answers so far! Here's a bigger picture:

Not Wheel of Fortune. Collectively, folks are thinking of the right general type of game, and guesses so far are absolutely in the right era.

Y'all are getting pretty warm!

Nope, not Lethal Enforcers!

Here's mine:

Is it Dino Land?