Play Action 52 Online

Summary

Action 52 on the Sega Genesis is the infamous unlicensed multicart that packs fifty‑two distinct titles onto a single cartridge. Most of the games are scrolling shooters or platformers, and the collection’s headline act is The Cheetahmen, a half‑hearted attempt to launch a franchise rivaling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

While the games are universally regarded as low‑budget and uneven, the Genesis version is a step up from its NES counterpart. It was rebuilt from scratch, fixing many of the original glitches and exploiting the Genesis’s stronger hardware. The main menu uses a bright color‑code—green for beginners, purple for intermediate, yellow for expert, white for challenges, and blue for multiplayer—while a Randomizer and a music demo mode add a quirky extra.

Developed by FarSight Technologies under Jay Obernolte’s direction, the team cranked out the cartridge in about a year using a Macintosh LC. Playtesting trimmed down the bugs, and the soundtrack was supplied by Mark Steven Miller and Jason Scher of Nu Romantic Productions, giving the whole package a strangely nostalgic charm despite its notorious reputation.

Storyline

In the Genesis version of The Cheetahmen, the three titular brothers embark on a mission to rescue cheetah cubs from the clutches of the villainous Dr. Morbis and his minions.