system Index G-L
G-Loc Air Battle
Grade: D
Publisher: Sega (1991)
Posted: 2019/9/25


screenshotG-Loc Air Battle tries to straddle the line between arcade shooter and jet fighter simulation. You view the action from inside your cockpit gazing over mountains and expansive oceans. You can select between eight missions yet must save the climactic ninth chapter for the very end. Each mission involves destroying a certain number of enemy fighters and battleships using your unlimited machine guns and limited missile supply.

The animation is extremely choppy and at times almost hard to watch. The collision detection is forgiving at least. Enemies often fly directly into your line of fire, so you can do a lot of damage by simply firing forward! Battleships are automatically targeted so it only takes a tap or two of the missile button to finish them off. The best way to avoid attacks ("danger!") is to move the d-pad like crazy, or perform an evasive roll by accident as I tend to do.

Points are awarded after completing each mission, and those points are used to upgrade your plane via a slick upgrade screen. Be sure to take care of your fuel and armor before splurging on fancy weapons. G-Loc is actually a pretty well designed game. It's a shame technically it's not quite up to the task. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player 

If you like this game, try: Airforce Delta (Dreamcast)
Blue Lightning (Lynx)
Ace of Aces (Atari 7800)
Radar Lock (Atari 2600)
Strategy X (Atari 2600)

Garfield: Caught in the Act
Grade: C-
Publisher: Sega (1995)
Posted: 2008/6/21



screenshotThe cat in this game is a lot more nimble than the fat, lazy one I remember from the comic strip! Not only can he dash and leap high, but he'll use his claws to pull himself up onto high ledges. Caught in the Act's intro looks like a typical Garfield comic strip, but why do the pictures only take up half of the screen? I can't even make out some of them! The game itself is a pretty generic platformer with time-travel themes that include prehistoric, Egyptian, medieval, and some visually-striking pirate stages. The TV Wasteland stage sounds interesting until you discover it's just a maze of electrical junk - ugh!

Caught in the Act isn't bad if you can keep your expectations in check. The graphics are impressive, with detailed, layered environments and a melodic soundtrack that really pushes the system's audio power. The controls are so forgiving that even when Garfield jumps off a cliff a butterfly will often catch him and tow him back onto solid ground. The jumping action is strictly by the numbers as you make your way to the far right of each stage where a boss awaits (big surprise there). Garfield also has the ability to toss rocks at his adversaries, which include mummies, knights, cavemen, and fire-breathing mice.

This game should have been a good time but some boneheaded design decisions disrupt the fun (don't they always?). First you have to contend with a lot of annoying disappearing platforms, and flying creatures often appear from out of nowhere to interrupt your jumps. The stages are surprisingly long and repetitive, and sometimes you'll traverse an area only slightly different from the one before it. The bosses require an inordinate number of hits to defeat. After a while, Caught in the Act begins to feel like every 2D platform game you've ever played in your entire life. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player 

If you like this game, try: Garfield: Caught in the Act (Genesis)
Cat Trax (Arcadia 2001)
Miner 2049er (Atari 5200)
Star Wars (NES)
Joust (Atari 2600)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Grade: C+
Publisher: US Gold (1991)
Posted: 2023/6/25

screenshotI liked the look of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Sega Master System, 1990), but the game fell a bit short in the gameplay department. It appears the developer took the extra year to get this Game Gear edition right. This has all the beautiful graphics of the Master System plus improved gameplay to put this version over the top.

The graphics look exactly like the SMS game, except the lower resolution results in a view that's slightly "zoomed". One drawback is you tend to have less time to react to bad guys entering the screen. There is also some slow-down. The colorful circus train cars look especially good, with giraffe heads and rhinoceros horns poking through the box cars periodically.

While venturing through caves, catacombs, and castles, Indy will leap over pits, climb ropes, and fight outlaws, indians, and nazis. Your punches are potent but your whip has much better range of course. The gameplay is very forgiving with no bosses to worry about. In fact, you don't even need to acquire the Cross of Coronado in order to complete the opening stage. Is that a bug?

There are a few tweaks that elevate this Game Gear port above other Last Crusades. When jumping you can adjust your position in mid-air to a modest degree. It makes all the difference, since misjudging a jump or missing a rope usually results in falling to your death. You also get a split-second of invincibility upon taking a hit, reducing the number of insto-deaths. As a result fireballs in the catacombs stage no longer kill on contact, thankfully.

The controls remain touchy however, often causing you to execute an extra, unwanted jump after grabbing a rope. I've been reviewing many versions of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade lately, and frankly I'm getting a little sick of it. This game appeared on just about every platform despite its mediocrity. Who would have guessed this portable Game Gear edition would turn out to be the cream of the crop? © Copyright 2023 The Video Game Critic.

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High score: 12,000
1 player 

If you like this game, try: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Game Boy)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Sega Master System)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Ubisoft version) (NES)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Taito version) (NES)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Genesis)

Joe Montana Football
Grade: C
Publisher: Sega (1991)
Posted: 2004/2/16



screenshotAs long as you're not looking for anything fancy, Joe Montana is a fun little football game. All the NFL teams are included (circa 1991), but they're all rendered in blue and red uniforms, and except for slightly different playbooks, they're all the same. The simple control scheme doesn't let you perform any moves when you run with the ball, and as a result the running game is virtually non-existent.

Fortunately the passing game is quite effective. Like Tecmo Football, you can switch between receivers on the fly, and your quarterback zips the ball nicely. There aren't many sound effects, but players are tackled with a satisfying thud. Graphically, the game has nicely defined players, and it's easy to follow the large football. The goalposts look terrific, and the players perform a hilariously cheesy "celebration dance" after each touchdown.

Montana is pretty shallow, but the game moves along quickly with no pauses in the action. The CPU provides a reasonable challenge, but sometimes does dumb things like run to the back of the end zone for a safety. Not too hot and not too cold, Joe Montana provides an average portable football experience. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players 

If you like this game, try: Joe Montana Football (Genesis)
Joe Montana Football (Sega Master System)
Madden '95 (Genesis)
Tecmo Bowl (NES)
Tecmo Super Bowl (Super Nintendo)

Jungle Book, The
Grade: C+
Publisher: Sega (1993)
Posted: 2008/7/9

screenshotAm I missing something here?? Jungle Book looks pretty spectacular on my Game Gear, but I can't play the thing worth a [expletive]! I love the scenery with its sunny savannahs, dense jungles, and tranquil flowing streams. The main character is a lanky kid named Mowgli, and he's animated with fluid grace. Likewise the swinging monkeys, trampling warthogs, swimming bears, and spitting cobras are rendered with loving care.

The object of most stages is to collect gems while keeping hostile wildlife at bay by pelting them with bananas. Not only can you throw bananas in a rapid-fire manner, but you can even angle your throws! It's cool how you can knock a monkey out of a tree, yet he'll continue fighting on the ground below. Jungle Book's platform jumping can be a little tricky, mainly because Mowgli has the annoying habit of hitting his head on low hanging branches while leaping from vines. The audio is top notch, featuring a toe-tapping rendition of "Bear Necessities".

So what's the deal with the difficulty? Finding all eight gems in a level is awfully hard! I can understand that degree of challenge in stage seven, but we're talking about the first stage here! You'll absorb a lot of damage from hidden dangers, blind jumps, and cobras camped out on short ledges. This steep difficulty adds unnecessary frustration to what should have been a care-free, easy-going romp through the jungle. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

1 player 

If you like this game, try: Jungle Book (Genesis)
Jungle Book (Super Nintendo)
Tarzan (Colecovision)
Toki (Lynx)
Super Monkey Ball (GameCube)

Jurassic Park
Grade: A
Publisher: Sega (1993)
Posted: 2008/6/21


screenshotWhoa. Jurassic Park for the Game Gear took me by surprise. This bundle of portable joy is even better than the Genesis Jurassic Park game! The title screen features a digitized roar (not bad!), followed by a sophisticated animated sequence that rivals those of many 16-bit games. You can select the order in which you play the four stages, and that alone dramatically enhances the replay value.

Each stage begins with a shooting sequence where you defend a speeding jeep by aiming crosshairs at attacking pterodactyls and velociraptors. It feels like a fun bonus stage. Next you're thrust into a traditional platform stage that places all sorts of dinosaurs and environmental hazards between you and the exit. The layered scenery is first-rate, and the stages are imaginative in design. For example, in the forest a lightning strike starts a fire which eventually burns an escape path.

Each stage has several distinct areas, delivering an exceptional degree of variety. Even the mineshaft level is engaging despite its maze-like structure. A large dinosaur awaits at the end of each stage, and you'll need to formulate a specific strategy to prevail. The rich control scheme lets your character squat, crawl, hang, and even monkey-walk over low hazards. You're well armed, and can even change weapons via the pause screen!

The game's dramatic musical score is pretty intense as well. Jurassic Park for the Game Gear impressed the hell out of me. With rich gameplay and fantastic production values, this should be a model for all 2D platform titles, portable or otherwise. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

High score: 32100
1 player 

If you like this game, try: Jurassic Park (NES)
Jurassic Park III: Park Builder (Game Boy Advance)
Jurassic Park (Sega Master System)
Jurassic Park (Genesis)
Jurassic Park (Super Nintendo)

Lion King, The
Grade: C-
Publisher: Virgin (1994)
Posted: 2003/11/9

screenshotI wasn't a huge fan of the 16-bit version of Lion King (SNES, Genesis), and this portable edition offers even less to get excited about. The graphics are certainly acceptable, with smoothly animated, detailed animals and beautiful orange sunsets. But the color-by-number gameplay will have you frustrated and bored. The stages follow Simba from being a cub all the way up to his final confrontation with Scar.

The jumping controls are very forgiving, as your lion will grab hold of a ledge if you don't make the jump cleanly. The game tries to add some variety by letting you interact with other animals, but I experienced a fair amount of frustration from animals tossing me places I didn't want to go. Many stages are painfully monotonous rock platforms, where it's difficult to determine where to go next.

But the worst part is that you have to play as a cub for most of the game! After six stages of controlling a cub, I was thinking "When is this [expletive] lion gonna grow up?!" A unique "roar" move gives the game a hint of originality, but it's useless for most of the game. Even the "catch the seeds" bonus round falls flat. The music is high-quality (taken from the movie), but when all is said and done, Lion King doesn't amount to much. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

1 player 

If you like this game, try: Lion King (Super Nintendo)
Lion King (Game Boy)
Bloody Roar 2 (Playstation)
Bloody Roar (Playstation)
Final Fight One (Game Boy Advance)


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