Genesis Reviews D-E

It's easy to dismiss this one-on-one fighter as a Street Fighter 2 knock-off, but not so fast! Deadly Moves is a cut above the rest. I recently played this against my friend Chris who claims to have played it as a kid! That's surprising, because Deadly Moves strikes me as one of those generic titles few people have heard of. The game has a lot going for it despite its suspiciously familiar characters. Joe is a Ryu clone, Li Yong is Chun Li, and Baraki is clearly Blanka's second cousin. Bu Oh ("Lord of Dance") looks a lot like David Bowie, and his red hair is literally a deadly weapon! The stages are unspectacular but more interesting than your garden variety fighter. The raft stage features tropical island scenery (check out the blimp) and a desert stage puts you on the back of a moving train. The dinosaur bones stage looks idiotic, mainly because one set of bones is still standing! How is that even possible? The voice samples aren't bad, and some of the music has a cool Streets of Rage flavor. So how is the fighting action? Well, it's a little on the slow side but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Two special moves are listed in the manual for each character, and they are easy to execute. The game's simplicity, coupled with its deliberate pace, makes Deadly Moves feel more strategic and less like a button-masher. One unusual feature is the ability to move your fighters in and out of the z-axis. It's not a major factor, but sometimes you'll be able to side-step a projectile or rush attack. My friend Chris pointed out that there's no clock, so stalling tactics (my specialty) are not an option. After each round, I like how the background scenery changes to black-and-white, and then fades to black, leaving only the victor on the screen. In the single-player mode you can only play as Joe, but you can select the order of your opponents. Joe's attributes increase between stages, and a password is provided. Deadly Moves could never challenge Street Fighter 2's throne, but if you want a nice change of pace, this is a viable option. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

I love the old magazine ad for this game. It depicts a white box with an official-looking notice: "Contrary to published reports, Death Duel has been banned only in certain European countries; however, it is still legal in all 50 states as of the date of this notice. Any reports indicating otherwise are unfounded." That's pure marketing hype for you. Yes, there's a certain degree of blood and dismemberment, but these are pixilated monsters for Pete's sake. Still, the box does state, "Not suggested for children under 13." Actually, I found this odd first-person shooter to be a nice change of pace. Using a cursor to aim, you engage in one-on-one shootouts against a series of nine creatures, including a dragon, giant insect, and cybernetic troll. These things are impressively large - the "largest 16-bit characters EVER" according to the box. Each has its own distinct attack patterns and weak spots. During battle, your opponent remains a fixed distance away, but moves sideways - sometimes behind partially destructible walls. Armed with three weapons, you can spray bullets with your machine gun, launch missiles, and lob grenades. The limb-blasting, missile-dodging action can get pretty intense at times. My biggest gripe is that your opponent sometimes moves so far to the right or left that you can't even reach them - what's that all about? It's always interesting to see what the next stage has in store, but you'll always have to defeat the cyborgs in order. Between stages there's a fun shooting gallery stage, and you can purchase weapons from an eccentric merchant with a pet monkey. This is where the game exhibits some offbeat humor, including a sign that reads, "Please touch my monkey". Outfitting yourself with the right weapons is critical to defeating your next foe, and this requires some trial and error to discover what's effective. Your ammo is limited, and the last thing you want is to run out on the battlefield. This is a good game, but the poor instructions don't adequately explain the meters and basic gameplay, which is frustrating. Once you figure everything out however, Death Duel is a lot of fun. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

In 1992 DC Comics pulled off a bizarre publicity stunt. They had Superman briefly "die" at the hands of Doomsday, an event which inexplicably spawned four new alternate Supermen in the process. That's the premise of this underachieving side-scrolling brawler. Death and Return of Superman reeks of untapped potential. The blocky city skyline in the opening cutscene looks horrible. The opening stage is a fenced power-plant that's seriously lacking in the eye candy department. Were they even trying? Subsequent stages include the obligatory elevators, street scenes, rooftops, and laboratories. The lack of detail in the scenery is glaring, especially when you look down a city intersection and see nothing but a solid blue wall! You face the same mutated goons over and over again with cute names like Rambeau and Eyegore. Palette-swapped thugs are to be expected, but this game takes the "cookie cutter" concept to whole new level by duplicating entire stages with different color schemes. It's a shame because the game itself is quite playable with large characters, smooth animation, and tight controls. I love how Superman grabs enemies and hurls them into walls much like the Caped Crusader in Batman Returns (SNES, 1992). The fact that the walls actually incur damage may be the highlight of the game. Superman will take flight if you tap C twice, and he looks cool hovering over a backdrop of layered buildings. There are icons to collect but they all just look like Superman logos. Occasionally you can throw an object, but you'd expect tossing an engine block on a guy would do a little more than minimal damage. Superman's eye beam attack is positively worthless, but his ground pound (A+B) is effective. The action is one-player-only, there's no score, and it's impossible to make significant progress without the Game Genie. Considering how far side-scrollers progressed by 1994, Death and Return of Superman comes off as a super lazy effort. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

This offbeat platformer doesn't make much sense but it's a heck of a lot of fun. Decap Attack stars an eccentric mummy named "Chuck D. Head". Chuck can rapid-fire punch foes with a head that bursts from his chest. Yes, that is awesome. Occasionally he's equipped with a skull on his shoulders he can hurl, but it's really easy to lose. I love how the skull changes expressions when you leave it sitting on the ground. The platform action is responsive as you hop between platforms, stomp cartoonish monsters into the dirt, and smash totems to collect potions. You can land on gray clouds and flutter in the air to slow your fall. The assortment of enemies include werewolves, cattle skulls, dudes with propeller hats, and black birds that look like Daffy Duck on crack. Your goal is to reach the exit of each stage, although it's not always clear where that lies. Potions you collect become available for use on an item screen accessible by the A button. You can use this screen to read descriptions of each item, but the user interface is terrible! It would help if the scrolling text could display more than five words at a time! It's very easy accidentally use an item you didn't intend to. These short-lived power-ups offer invincibility, extended punch range, and high jumping. Don't hesitate to use the potions, as most do not work on the bosses! Decap Attack's stages depict barren landscapes with skulls hanging from trees. I think they are intentionally bleak to convey a Halloweenish spirit, and it works. I really like those translucent platforms. The weird, jaunty music is great, and I love that creepy organ music that kicks in when you die. The lack of a score and password is a bummer, but it's fun just to see how far you can get. Decap Attack may look like your garden variety platformer but proves to be anything but. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

During the early 90's the fascination with interactive cartoons reached fever pitch, catapulting to popularity mediocre titles like Taz Mania (Genesis, 1992) and Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions (SNES, 1993). Desert Demolition stars the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, paying homage to their classic cartoons with lovable animations, endearing sounds, and countless references to the old shows. It's a fitting tribute, but from a video game standpoint this is a complete trainwreck. You can be either the coyote or roadrunner, but selecting either one is punching your ticket to misery. The coyote is so slow and clumsy that simply reaching the end of the stage before the timer runs out can be a challenge. Wacky gadgets like springs and jet shoes typically send him into the nearest wall! He can't even walk into a boulder without taking damage. The swift road runner seems like a better option, especially when you see him peel through Sonic the Hedgehog-style loops. But once he's in the desert he's moving too fast to avoid anything so he runs right smack into every damn cactus! You can collect little waving "Acme stamps" for points, and despite what my friend Scott says those are not mini Confederate flags! What's the point of collecting them when the game never displays your score? You'd think they could show it on the "game over" screen, but I guess they forgot. And then there's the matter of the coyote actually catching the roadrunner. In the long-running cartoon, the roadrunner evaded capture for more than 50 years, yet my friend snagged that bird in ten seconds. Way to destroy a legend Chris! Oh wait - the designers of this game already beat you to it! © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.

The Double Dragon series was a huge hit on the NES, so you'd expect the Genesis edition to be a slam-dunk, right? Hell no! Not only does Double Dragon 3 (DD3) pale in comparison to Streets of Rage, but it's not even as fun as the NES games! As with all Double Dragon titles, this side-scrolling brawler lets one or two players punch and kick their way through stage after stage of generic thugs, this time in locations from around the world. DD3's gameplay is a hapless mess, and there's minimal technique as you plow through a steady stream on oncoming foes that all look exactly the same. The Cupid-inspired Roman archers of the Italy stage look especially idiotic. Half the time enemies don't even flinch when attacked, making you wonder if you even made contact! The punching and kicking action would be totally bland if not the ability to "buy" power-ups and special moves. Among these are the ability to perform hurricane kicks (yeah that's original), or become a homosexual giant (just what I always wanted!). The only attack I truly enjoyed was the ability to stomp on a guy's head when he's down on the ground. If only it inflicted some amount of damage! The character graphics look blurry and indistinct, and the backgrounds are remarkably lame. The opening downtown stage looks cheesy as all hell, and subsequent locations provide precious little in the way of eye candy. In the Japan and Italy stages, large trees and columns in the foreground partially block your view of the action. The first stage does feature a catchy theme song, but the subsequent Asian-inspired tunes got on my nerves. DD3 is a mercifully short romp, and since you get a ton of continues, the challenge is minimal. Even the most devout Double Dragon fans will find themselves nodding off after a few minutes of this garbage. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Dragon's Fury (Tengen, 1992) was a remarkably well-executed pinball game with a creepy, medieval motif. This sequel on the other hand feels like a cheap knock-off. The gameplay, visuals, and sounds just aren't as compelling. Heck, even the box art is a simplified version of the Fury's cover. Still, Dragon's Revenge has its charm. An impressive intro screen features the face of Sharon Stone turning into a dragon. Revenge has an interesting table design with more targets and variety. Since the table scrolls sideways slightly, there's more winding passages and side areas. The playing field is extremely detailed with embedded jewels and engravings, and the graphics are brighter and more crisp than Dragon's Fury. Once you launch a ball however, it's obvious that the physics is all wrong. It feels I'm hitting a rubber super ball instead of a metal one. The female face in the center is now fully digitized, but you can't hit her directly. Instead, hitting other targets around the board inexplicably cause her to moan ("oh... ooo... yes!") I'm not sure what the deal is when she starts floating around the table. The bonus games are rendered in an oil-painting style that doesn't match the main table, and they are less edgy than the ones in Fury. They challenge you to battle a vulture, trolls on a bridge, and a freaky tree creature. I really hate how these stages are all-or-nothing affairs; you either beat them or earn nothing. Dragon's Revenge also has its share of bugs. It's not uncommon to have the ball pass through a flipper, and the game even locked up on me once. Five balls instead of three results in much longer games, but there is a password feature. Dragon's Revenge isn't a bad looking sequel, but it pales in quality to the original. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

I'm supposed to be enjoying this game. That's what I've been told. I'm trying, but man, Dynamite Headdy is hard for me to wrap my mind around. I had no clue what the hell was even going on in the initial "wild chase" stage. I thought I might be controlling Headdy, but seemed to have little or no bearing on events. Then I was forced to participate in several "practice" rounds designed to get me acquainted with the controls. Enough already! Upon beginning the game in earnest, I discovered it was not unlike most platformers - just weirder. The stages take place on a theater stage loaded with colorful sets, puppets, and marionettes. It's almost carnival-like, and some of the bosses are downright freaky. Needless to say, I didn't find this style very appealing. The main character, Headdy, is a puppet with the ability to fling his head at enemies. It's not the first time we've seen this gimmick - Decap Attack and others used it years before - but Dynamite Headdy takes the concept a step further. You can change you head often during a stage, which dramatically modifies your abilities. For example, the Spike Head lets you climb walls, Vacuum Head lets you suck in objects, Super Head speeds you up, and Empty Head makes you invincible. It's interesting to experiment, and the game is good about providing heads appropriate for the current situation. A secondary character is "Beau", a flying face that points out the weak spots on each boss. He's useful, because this game is seriously boss-heavy. A bonus stage challenges you to knock basketballs into nets, and while it sounds like fun, I actually hated it and wanted to make it stop. Overall, Dynamite Headdy is well programmed, with rich graphics, elaborate sound effects, and pinpoint controls. There's no slowdown, even when the action get crazy (which is often). Genesis fans looking for something substantial will appreciate Dynamite Headdy, but I suspect most will scratch their heads in bewilderment as they reach for the Sonic cartridge. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

At a time when platform games were running short on ideas Earthworm Jim made a splash with its unique style, superb animation, and wicked sense of humor. The lead character is an intergalactic worm in a muscle-bound suit who can whip his own head at enemies. Jim can also glide like a helicopter and shoot rapid-fire in any direction. The stages take place on surreal planets with platforms that twist and turn to convey a sense of depth. The artistry and use of color are so extraordinary that the scenery looks practically painted on the screen. The first stage is conventional in nature but later stages are remarkably inventive. In one you must escort an oblivious skipping puppy to safety, and another puts you in a bungee-jumping contest with a huge ball of snot. One stage takes you through the intestines of a monster, and a psuedo-3D stage lets you race through a space tube (worm hole?) while avoiding asteroids. One of the final stages takes place in almost complete darkness! The character animation is remarkably fluid and Jim's mannerisms are hilarious. The ability to "launch a cow" is indicative of the game's offbeat humor. The rapid-fire shooting makes it satisfying to blast the beaks off psychotic crows and reduce maniac dogs to bones. The fact that you can't actually see the bullets was a novel concept for 1994. The platform jumping action could be better. I like how Jim grabs any nearby ledge, but some stages have too many spikes and it's easy to find yourself moving in circles. The bosses can be exceptionally difficult, which makes the lack of a password feature all the more glaring. Having to start each game from the first stage is a travesty, and you don't even get a score! Earthworm Jim is jam-packed with memorable sights and sounds, but the game's fun factor never matches its level of creativity. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

Earthworm Jim 2 delivers more intergalactic antics from the comical muscle-bound worm. Expanding upon the same whimsical platform-shooting formula, this sequel introduces five new weapons and an innovative new "snot swing" maneuver. The difficulty is moderate and thank goodness there is a password feature. The more conventional platform stages tend to incorporate simple puzzles, like loading pigs onto a scale. Some stages are so "out there" I can only surmise that mind-altering drugs played a key role in Earthworm Jim 2's brainstorming sessions. In the carnival-style stage Jim inflates his head with helium, letting him float through the stage in hilarious fashion. There's a side-scrolling shooting stage where you glide over beautiful islands and shimmering blue water. Each stage seems to introduce a new gameplay mechanic, but even the most ingenious concepts can fall flat. In "Lorenzo's Soil" you traverse an underground maze by blasting through the dirt, and it may be the most agonizing stage I've ever endured. The puppy-tossing mini-games are fun at first but soon wear out their welcome. I learned to avoid the "bonus stages" like the plague, as they have a way of taking a fun concept and beating it to death. The "stair chair" stage with the raining old ladies is one such example, although I still love how they accuse you of being "fresh" when they land in your lap. The fun factor wavers at times, but you'll usually want to see what the next stage has in store. Earthworm Jim 2's surreal graphics are first rate and the sound effects are about as good as they get on the Genesis. After viewing the humorous ending I realized the strong influence of Monty Python on this franchise. Earthworm Jim games tend to be somewhat overrated in my opinion, but you can't deny their entertainment value. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

It was a cold snowy day in 1993 when I found myself suffering from a bad case of fighting-game fever. In my delirious state I began calling around to stores asking if they had any copies of Eternal Champions. I finally hitting pay dirt at a Asian video shop ($56 if I recall). I was pretty stoked but when I invited Steve and Brendan over to play they were underwhelmed. Eternal Champions was Sega's attempt to cash in on the one-on-one fighter craze. Its cast of fighters are plucked from all periods of history, including a caveman, vampire, acrobat, bounty hunter, gangster-era gumshoe, warlock, assassin, cyborg, and fish-man from Atlantis. It sounds promising, except the warlock looks like a pencil-necked geek, the gumshoe could be an investment banker, and the bounty hunter has the physique of a weatherman. The stages are forgettable with the exception of the creepy New England witch-trial-era village. The music is hokey, the sound effects ring hollow, and some of the attacks look cheesy. The hits lack impact and the collision detection is imprecise. Eternal Champions was designed for the six-button controller, but it's also compatible with Sega's infamous "Activator". Have you tried this thing? It's a motion-sensing ring that lets you fight using real martial arts moves. In reality you find yourself hopping around like some drunk failing a sobriety test. Even with a proper controller the special moves are hard to execute - and ineffective to boot! Get too cute and your button-mashing friends will beat you to a pulp. On a positive note, Eternal Champions features gory fatality sequences that occur more or less at random. It's entertaining to watch some poor schmuck consumed by a sea serpent, tossed into a giant fan, or burned at the stake. Eternal Champions is moderately fun against a friend, but the single-player mode sucks. The CPU blocks everything you dish out, and you can't adjust the difficulty. There's no score and you can't change characters. Hell, you can't even quit out of this mode. You are forced to play... eternally. I love how the box boasts of a tournament mode that supports up to 32 players. I'll be sure to pull this out next time I have 31 of my closest friends over. Eternal Champions holds a place near and dear to my heart, but honestly, it's not very good. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.

Ex-Mutants is based on an obscure comic featuring superhumans fighting mutants in a post-apocalyptic world. For an X-Men rip-off it's a pretty solid platformer. I love the title screen showing damaged skyscrapers against a blood red skyline. This game embodies all the standard conventions you'd associate with classic 16-bit action. You navigate maze-like laboratories and caves. You hack at creatures that explode into meaty chunks. You duck under traps that fire at timed intervals. You collect coins for points and break open crates for power-ups. Each area concludes with the obligatory boss. Ex-Mutants isn't just a collection of platform cliches; it's a celebration of them. And it's a lot of fun too. There are six Ex-Mutants but you can only play as two because the others have been captured. You can be the hatchet-wielding Ackroyd or the more agile Shannon. The controls are precise and I like how characters punctuate beat-downs with lines like "Die, scumbag!". The fact that many enemies resemble Ewoks just give you added incentive. On medium difficulty however the little bastards absorb too many hits so I recommend the easy level instead. You usually have a handful of projectiles but sometimes you get stuck with mines, and they suck. The stages include a subway, Temple-of-Doom style caves, and forests with tree huts. Exploration is fun thanks to alternate routes and hidden areas. Some of the trap configurations are pretty ludicrous though. In one area you need to hop between disappearing ledges with spikes below and a moving buzz saw above. The dart traps are excessive and even the flies around the campfire are lethal! A minecart bonus stage offers a harrowing ride because you're standing on a flat platform while jumping over hazards and attacking enemies! At least the game lets you continue close to where you left off. During one cut-scene Ackroyd says "Give it a rest boy; this isn't a video game." Ex-Mutants is textbook old-school, which is probably why I like it so much. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.