With so many chunky 3D polygon games dominating the Playstation library, playing an old-school side-scroller like this on the system is a real treat. The obligatory animated intro is worth watching, if only for its hilarious dialogue. Mega Man is such a pansy! Like Sonic, I liked him better before I heard him speak! The characters are crisp and well-animated, and the attractive backdrops are rendered in muted tones so as not to interfere with the action. The shooting is extra satisfying thanks to the spectacular explosion effects punctuated by flying springs, screws, and cogs. The opening stage takes place on a scenic island where a new kick-ball weapon is introduced. After that you can select from several imaginative stages. Frost Man's stage is not the winter wonderland you might expect, but a gorgeous ice-encrusted city! And if you think it looks nice during the day, wait until you see it at night! Clown Man's stage features toy trains you can catch rides on, and I love how toy soldiers struggle to hang on after walking off a ledge (the details make all the difference). Grenade Man's stage features stacked barrels that create a chain reaction when they explode. There's a lot of variety, and part of Tengu Man's stage plays like a side-scrolling shooter. It's fun to enlist "helpers" to shoot alongside you, but they tend to clutter the screen. Mega Man 8 is addictive, but you'll need to have a high pain threshold to enjoy it. The level designs are classic Mega Man, but since the characters are large you don't have as much room to maneuver. Frost Man's never-ending ice-board sequences require you to execute pinpoint jumps and slides while avoiding falling bombs. The bosses are tough but the key is learning how to evade their attacks. You can save your progress after each boss. The electronic soundtrack is uneven. Some tunes (Frost Man) are very soothing while others (Clown Man) sound cheesy. Mega Man 8 is very inexpensive (compared to Mega Man 7) so it won't hurt you wallet - only your pride. Note: The Saturn edition includes two additional bosses. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

Metal Slug was the premiere shooting franchise for the Neo Geo system, and this Playstation edition demonstrates why the series has been held in such high regard. Metal Slug X's side-scrolling action combines stylized cartoon graphics, pinpoint controls, and a wicked sense of humor. In terms of presentation, this Playstation shooter is second to none. The characters and scenery are meticulously crafted and brimming with clever, funny animations. This is one of those games you can play over and over again and always see something new. Objects are rendered as 2D sprites, giving the visuals an artistic flair missing from most polygon-based titles. Your character's default weapon isn't very powerful, but you're constantly finding new weapons, including machine guns, lasers, flamethrowers, grenades, and rocket launchers. You can also commandeer tanks, planes, and even camels. The level of destruction you can unleash is spectacular, and it's well represented by satisfying explosions with huge chunks of debris flying all over the place. Over-the-top bosses include an airship that drops full-sized tanks from the sky! The stage locations include a desert, a mummy-infested tomb, and a moving train. Complementing its top-notch graphics are crystal clear digitized sound effects and an intense musical score. Two players can play cooperatively, and thankfully you can't harm each other. Metal Slug X really blew me away. If I have one complaint, it's how your default weapon can't shoot diagonally, making certain targets hard to reach. The standard arcade mode offers unlimited continues which eliminates the drama and suspense, but this is remedied by the awesome "Combat School" mode, which challenges you to clear any one stage with only three lives. There's also a "survival mode" where you only get one life (imagine that)! Well crafted and easy on the eyes, Metal Slug X is a must-have for die-hard shooter fans. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

I've always felt that Mortal Kombat 2 was the high point for the series, but there's something to be said for this nearly arcade-perfect version of Mortal Kombat 3 (MK3). The graphics are remarkably crisp, the sound effects crystal clear, and the control is dead-on. Load times are frequent but reasonable. If you're used to the 16-bit version (Genesis or SNES), this is a major upgrade. Easy-to-perform special moves are listed in the manual, although some research is necessary to uncover the gory "fatalities". Speaking of which, MK3's developers went way overboard with the "finishing" moves. Besides the old-fashioned "normal" fatalities (like momma used to make), there are "stage" fatalities, animalities, babalities, mercies, and friendships! Whatever happened to the good old days when you just ripped out your opponent's spine and called it a day? Many of the finishing moves are downright silly, perhaps in a deliberate attempt by the developers to diffuse any potential controversy. For example, one fatality drops a Mortal Kombat arcade machine out the sky onto your opponent's head (that's gonna leave a mark). My main issues with MK3 concern the character roster and stage scenery. Long-time favorites like Scorpion, Raiden, and Johnny Cage are nowhere to be found, and Sub Zero has been unmasked - bad call! There are some interesting new faces like the four-armed Sheeva and the robotic Cyrax, but others like Styker and Nightwolf are pretty lame. Most stages feature urban themes, including one depicting a trashy city street. After the awe-inspiring temples and creepy dungeons of the first two Mortal Kombats, these are fairly unimpressive locales. I also hate that dork sticking his digitized face in the side of the screen (so annoying!) There's a nice selection of options to adjust the difficulty, violence, and controls, but unfortunately there's no way to save high scores or settings to memory card. Some readers have expressed concern about Shang Tsung's "morph" move, but since he always transforms into his opponent this time, there's no load time involved. Mortal Kombat 3 is a very good fighter, and if you enjoyed the previous editions, this will give you more of what you want. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Longtime fans of Mortal Kombat will recall how carelessly Midway tossed around its prized franchise in the late 90's, and Mythologies is a prime example. The game's underlying concept is reasonable, but the execution is abysmal. In Mythologies you control Sub-Zero, a popular character from the original Mortal Kombat wielding deadly ice attacks. The game is a 2D, side-scrolling quest with individual battles that play like standard Mortal Kombat one-on-one contests. As I crept from room to room, encountering one foe after the next, the game reminded me a lot of Karateka (Atari 7800, 1987). Had this been done right, it could have been a smash hit, and in theory Midway could have released a new Mythologies title for each character. But this game is so riddled with problems that I don't know where to start. To call the controls awkward would be a drastic understatement. The L2 button is used to turn around, but as critical as it is, it's not the least bit responsive. Next, in order to grab floating items, it's necessary to press L1, which is very inconvenient in the midst of battle. The triangle button is used to "exit" most menu screens, but on the inventory screen it lets you use items! Consequentially, I inadvertently used up all of my health supplements just trying to exit the frickin' screen! The collision detection hit-or-miss, and you'll witness many perfectly good kicks that fail to register at all. Did I mention the incredibly cheap, instant-kill traps? In general, this title lacks the polish you would expect from an established franchise. The instruction manual is useless, providing no clue on how to execute the special moves. Hell, I couldn't even figure out how to jump from a rope without plunging to my death! Mythologies should have been a fun, side-scrolling romp, but this poorly thought-out, half-hearted effort amounts to little more than a cautionary tale. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Is this really a Mortal Kombat game? Because I can't tell by looking at the thing. Heck, that jazzy intro looks more like something from an Austin Powers movie! Unlike the first series spin-off, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero (Playstation, 1997), Special Forces utilizes 3D polygon graphics and an overhead point of view. It actually plays better than Mythologies but it's so generic and uninteresting that you'll wonder what the point of it is. The main character, Jax, is the black guy from Mortal Kombat II with bionic arms. If not for him, this might as well be another Die Hard game. Special Force's predictable gameplay is not special at all. Traversing through office buildings and sewers, you methodically dispose of enemy thugs using your fists or weapons. One unique feature is how you can switch to a first-person point of view in case you want to aim with more precision. You'll spend much of the game searching for ways to unlock doors, and blowing up damaged walls to expose hidden rooms. The ominous musical score is decent, but Special Force's graphics are just plain ugly. The scenery is remarkably generic, and hideous "seams" abound. The clumsy control scheme provides you with zero control of the camera. Attack combos are effective but hard to execute, and the collision detection is a joke. On one occasion, I was attacking two thugs lined up in front of me, when my kick passed completely through the first guy, only to strike the dude behind him! I can honestly say that's the first time I've ever seen this particular glitch in a fighting game. I forced myself to play through several stages of Mortal Kombat Special Forces (for the purpose of this review), but to be honest I lost interest very early. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

I'm grateful to the reader who recommended Muppet Monster Adventure because it's a hidden gem of the highest magnitude. Let's face it - the Muppets aren't exactly video game icons. You'd assume the star of the game to be Kermit the frog, but you'd be wrong. You play the role of a Kermit's young nephew Robin, a pint-sized frog who looks hilarious scampering around with his tiny knapsack. His mission is to save familiar muppet characters transformed into classic movie monsters. Kermit plays the role of Frankenstein but his tall flat head makes it look like he's sporting a high-top fade! The game's bright, whimsical graphics have a vaguely Halloween theme and the impressive orchestrated soundtrack offers hints of Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES, 1993). Muppet Monster Adventure is a remarkably well-constructed 3D platformer. Its levels are spacious enough that you rarely have to fumble with the camera or struggle with precision jumps. It doesn't hurt that the difficulty is easy. The hub of the game offers dozens of stages that gradually unlock as you collect items. Armed with a potent spin attack and ray-gun, you'll tangle with bone-tossing skeletons, axe-wielding hunchbacks, and whirling mummies. A special weapon even lets you fire chickens! You gradually acquire new powers allowing you to climb, karate-chop, slide blocks, and glide like Spyro the Dragon (Sony, 1998). Each stage is chock full of items to collect and it can become an obsession to track everything down. The controls are superb with one exception. Although analog control generally works fine, you'll want to stick with digital control when you need to slide blocks. A funny red-haired guy who speaks with an outrageous French accent offers hints to guide you past puzzles. You can save your progress or return to the main hub at any time. Surprisingly addictive and effortlessly enjoyable, Muppet Monster Adventure is a game that should appeal to all ages. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.