Tiger Game.com Reviews A-L

On a system not known for quality platformers, Batman and Robin wins by default. It's a simplistic but mildly enjoyable side-scrolling beat-em-up. You can play the role of either Batman or Robin, although frankly I didn't notice much difference (outside of their appearance). Prior to each stage you select two items from a list of gadgets including a grappling hook, ice blast cape, gas grenades, ice blades, and Bat-a-rangs. These add a little strategy to the rinse-and-repeat gameplay. As you walk down a city street you're approached by masked freaks with hockey sticks. The scenery is exceptionally detailed with layers of buildings, automobiles, signs, and graffiti. The backdrops look great when you're standing still, but when moving they become a blur. The eyestrain becomes even worse in the sewers where much of the screen is intentionally blacked out. You can walk right up to most goons and deliver two good punches to knock them out. The "thwack!" sound effects ring true, but the rest of the audio falls flat. The happy-go-lucky music sounds like a toy xylophone, and the grunts and groans sound like an adult movie! Certain enemies have a tendency to remain out of "punching distance", but they can't escape your jump-kicks. I find it interesting how you can actually unleash multiple kicks during a single jump! Also satisfying is hurling projectiles like Bat-a-rangs. They're hard to see on the screen (impossible really) but you can hear them whirling through the air and watch enemies fall. Your grappling hook pulls you up to higher areas like balconies and fire escapes. The controls could be a little more responsive, and you often get stuck facing the wrong direction. What's more frustrating is how the game sometimes creates an invisible wall and won't let you proceed until you beat up more thugs. Batman and Robin has issues, but I appreciate its good looks, straightforward style, and moderate difficulty. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

This ill-advised movie adaptation is visually impressive but languishes in the control department. The Lost World begins with a high-speed driving stage that lets you weave around a stampede of dinosaurs. You view the action from behind your vehicle and the illusion of movement isn't bad. There's a decent sense of speed and the marauding creatures look great. Unfortunately it's hard to tell where you're supposed to go with so many dinosaurs, bushes, and other hazards cropping up all over the place. When my car blinks, does that mean I'm taking damage? The second stage is a typical platform stage boasting lush jungle foliage and lumbering dinosaurs in the background. That's great, but I wish the developers had paid a little more attention to what happens in the foreground! Your scientist is extremely stiff and the animation is comparable to flipping the pages of a book. Dinosaurs blend into the scenery, and when you finally spot one unresponsive controls make it hard to react in time. Even if you manage to shoot a dinosaur with your tranquilizer gun, the effect wears off in about ten seconds. Leaping between branches is an exercise in futility, especially when your character tends to change direction in mid-air. The audio effects may be the best part of the game, as the dinosaurs unleash digitized screeches, grunts, and roars. The background music on the other hand sounds like a toddler banging away on a Casio keyboard. It's pretty obvious that the Jurassic Park developers focused their attention on the graphics, leaving us with a showcase title that's a constant struggle to play. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.