Super Nintendo Reviews A-B

In the proud history of 16-bit football games ABC Monday Night Football holds the distinction of being most hilarious. I love that classic MNF theme playing over the title screen, but commentator Frank Gifford appears to be having some kind of seizure at the bottom of the main menu. You'd expect a game bearing the prestigious Monday Night Football license to spare no expense, but would you believe it doesn't even have an NFL license!? The teams are identified by city alone, with helmets featuring bizarre symbol like swirls, snowmen, and even a dollar sign! The action on the field is surreal. During kickoffs you're looking down the field but the programmer must have screwed up because the player scaling is reversed. Instead of distant players being smaller they are actually larger, giving the illusion of gang of giants descending upon a squad of midgets! And it gets better. Passes aren't exactly tight spirals; in fact they appear to be traveling sideways! Receivers leap super high for every pass, and ball carriers literally crawl up the field. When tackled, the ball carrier's helmet flies off as he unleashes a scream worthy of Street Fighter 2 (Capcom, 1992). Sacked quarterbacks are pressed into the field like squashed bugs. To its credit, the Tecmo-style play calling screen is easy to use. By calling a "power play" you initiate a cut-scene where both players pound buttons to gain the upper hand. After a score Frank Gifford exclaims "ohhhh Nellie - touchdown!" Reacting to normal plays are brief digitized clips showing the same six guys jumping around. After negative plays a disembodied voice says "Foooor-get it!" Who exactly is saying that?! Ten-yard measurements are viewed from high up in the air, giving you zero sense of how close you are to a first down. ABC Monday Night Football is an trainwreck of embarrassing proportions but there is entertainment value in experiencing it first hand. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

I was expecting the typical side-scrolling swordplay from Actraiser, but I got more - a lot more. Actraiser complements the solid platform action with a heavy dose of Sim City-style strategy. The two parts of the game couldn't be more different, yet are nicely intertwined and engrossing to play. You assume the role of a small cherub aiding the people of six lands to rid themselves of monsters and develop their cities. You view their world from an overhead perspective, using menu icons to communicate with the people. The interface takes a while to get comfortable with, but it's worth the effort. To help cultivate the land, you perform "miracles" in the form of rain, lightning, and earthquakes. It's not always clear what spells are effective where, so you'll need to experiment. Watching the cities flourish is satisfying, but shooting the flying demons which terrorize each city (and constantly respawn) can be seriously repetitive. The key is to "seal off" their lairs as soon as possible. As their society develops, the people present offerings that serve as power-ups. Occasionally you become a fierce warrior embarking on impressive side-scrolling levels. It's the standard hack-n-slash formula, but the richness of the scenery and imaginative creature designs puts this a cut above the rest. Some of the mythology-inspired monsters include minotaurs, centaurs, walking trees, and flying demons. As an indication of the quality, I found the desert level to be very similar to the Tatooine stage in Super Star Wars (SNES, 1992). Actraiser's difficulty is very fair, and you can save your progress via battery back-up at any time. There's an elegant classical musical score reminiscent of Zelda that plays throughout the game. Actraiser is one of those rare titles that skillfully intermingles two styles of play into one superb package. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

Unlike the first Actraiser which had Sim-City elements, this sequel is pure hack-n-slash action all the way through. Oh sure, there's an overhead map with plenty of text to page through, but it's just a glorified stage select. Navigating the map is confusing until you realize that the small stone circles are where the stages are accessed. Like its predecessor, Actraiser 2 boasts outstanding graphics and a sweeping orchestrated musical score. I can't emphasize enough the level of detail in these graphics, as each stage looks like a work of art. Locations include a jungle, a graveyard full of bones, waterfalls, and a torch-lit dungeon. You control a winged warrior fighting against a myriad of creatures. Some of these creatures are huge, and each has its own unique characteristics. The sword controls are excellent, allowing you to swing in any direction. The flying controls on the other hand, are terrible. A clumsy control scheme lets you to dive, float, or glide sideways. It's hard to grasp and the game gives you no room for error. In fact it's often impossible to clear a gap without incurring some degree of damage. Worse yet, gliding sideways causes you to stumble forward upon landing! I might have cut the controls a little slack if the stages weren't so freakin' hard! I must have played that jungle stage (with the poisonous river) 25 times and never beat it. Enemies can absorb several hits and trying to perch on narrow ledges is an exercise in frustration. In many cases, there's no indication you're taking damage. The first boss stage appears to have bushy grass on each side of the screen, and only after many deaths did I realize those were green thorns! Even when using the Game Genie this game kicked my ass! It's as though the developer set out to create the most difficult side-scroller in history - and succeeded! Actraiser 2 is one of a kind. I can't quite recall playing a game that looked so good but played so bad. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

Addams Family Values isn't anything to write home about, but at least it makes an effort to capture the spirit of the film, which is more than I can say for the first game. Playing as Uncle Fester, you explore forests, gardens, swamps, and dungeons on your quest to find Baby Pubert. You begin in a misty graveyard, and the enticing gothic visuals convey a nice Halloween vibe. The production values are terrific; even the menu screens sport eye-catching details and animations. The impressive audio delivers a brooding musical score and jarring sound effects. After cranking up my stereo, the sound of crashing thunder made me jump out of my chair! Family Values is an overhead adventure in the spirit of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992). As you move between contiguous screens you'll collect items and enter perilous underground dungeons loaded with traps, puzzles, and prowling creatures. Other characters from the films wander the stages to offer clues, and their dialogue nicely conveys the demented humor of the film. Fester's default weapon is lightning that shoots from his fingers, which is narrow but effective. The problem is, it loses range as you take damage, making it progressively harder (and increasingly frustrating) to defend yourself. Enemies include skeletons, trolls, and ravenous plants, but mostly irritating small creatures like floating eyeballs and hopping mushrooms. Since you can't aim with precision, these pesky creatures are annoyingly hard to hit, and Fester is a huge target for them. The overhead view is slightly tilted, so stone pillars and trees tend to obstruct your vision. It's not uncommon to incur damage from spikes or enemies totally hidden from sight! The puzzles don't make a lot of sense, so pressing a button might open a gate in another area. The graveyard is well designed, but the swamp is just a boring maze of bogs. After using one of your unlimited continues, you're tossed back in the fray with a single ounce of life! That's frustrating - especially when you subsequently keel over after being touched by a moving bush (yes - a freakin' bush). There's a password feature, but you'll need to make a lot of progress to be issued one. I wanted to like Addams Family Values with its macabre atmosphere and Zelda-style gameplay, but I found it to be more aggravating than enjoyable. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.

It took me a long time to give Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt a try, probably because I associate the term "scavenger hunt" with "wild goose chase". I wasn't far off. The title screen plays a fine rendition of the Addams Family theme so true to the original I expected voices to kick in! Based on a cartoon series, little Pugsley must collect items strewn throughout an old mansion. The game looks like a million bucks with its crisp graphics, fluid animation, and jaunty musical score. I love how you can select your stage by visiting various rooms including the attic, laboratory, and bathroom. It's fun to discover hidden areas, collect dollar signs, and rack up big points. Simple run-and-jump controls let you pounce on marching knights, floating rubber ducks, and rolling eyeballs. The platforming action is crazy hard. I'm supposed to collect a laundry list of items but I can't even make it through one stage! Dangers lurk everywhere as Pugsley sprints below guillotines, ducks under fireballs, and rides flying cannonballs. There are falling spears, swooping insects, and spikes everywhere you look. The crystal ball stage looks amazing with Grandma peering in, but that circular view makes it hard to see where you're going. Low ceilings provide minimal headroom and enemies can throw projectiles through walls. This game is like a war of attrition and you'll hear a lot of farting sounds as you take hits. Just accept the fact you're going to take a beating and hope you have enough hearts (and luck) to persevere. The worst part of the game are the controls for leaping off chains and ropes! I always end up bumping my head and falling into spikes. Getting through Pugley's Scavenger Hunt requires practice and memorization. The game is well-programmed but I really wish the designers had known when to say when. © Copyright 2020 The Video Game Critic.

It's no wonder this rare cartridge is so highly sought after; it looks like a work of art rendered from the cels of the Batman and Robin animated series. The graphics are not as detailed as those in Batman Returns (SNES, 1992) but their simple elegance is appealing. The first stage takes place on a dark street with art-deco buildings in the foreground and a towering skyline looming in the distance against a deep red sky. The characters are nicely animated and the sound effects are crisp. When you disarm a foe with a Batarang and beat him senseless, it feels great! The lavish musical score is basically the same one used in Batman Returns. The opening stage concludes with an moonlit amusement park encounter with the Joker, taking you on a vertigo-inducing roller coaster ride. Although a platformer at heart, each stage plays differently and offers a new villain like Catwoman, Two-face, Scarecrow, and the Riddler. Fans of the animated series will love cinematic touches like seeing Catwoman somersaulting between rooftops in the distance before you actually encounter her. The gameplay however is less enticing. Objectives are frequently confusing and on-screen prompts (like "hit") only add to the confusion. In the rollercoaster stage you need to deflect the Joker's bombs by punching them. How was I supposed to know that? You can toggle between items but locating the right one for each situation is largely a matter of trial-and-error. The overhead driving stage is aggravating because it's timed and it's so each to get hopelessly stuck on a curb! The password option is useful but did the password need to be a grid of shapes? The continue function always returns you to the very beginning of the stage, so what's the point? And despite what the title would imply, this is a one-player game, with Robin only making token appearances. Adventures of Batman and Robin may be a showcase title but I wished it played as well as it looks. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.

To be honest I picked this up mainly for its snowmobile stages. It's hard to find that kind of winter action on the SNES! Al Unser Jr.'s Road to the Top alternates between four racing styles: go-karts, IROC sports cars, snowmobiles, and Indy cars. As with Super Mario Kart (Nintendo, 1992), mode 7 effects are used to facilitate the illusion of smooth movement. The graphics are crisp and colorful but there's not much scenery. The courses are mostly flat but have slight contours including a few minor bumps and dips. Distinctive red and white boundaries line the track but you can often cut corners. The kart races are like Mario Kart except without the characters, power-ups, and personality. The IROC races make it look like you're racing around in boxy sedans from the 70's. The snowmobile events offer a pretty blue-and-white color scheme but not much else. Indy races feature wide cars on oval tracks, making it pretty hard to pass. These variants seem enjoyable enough in practice mode but the "road to the top'' can be arduous. You need to win each race outright to advance, beginning with three kart races. Even five laps starts to feel like an eternity after replaying the same track two or three times. There's not much technique involved except for avoiding oil spills which spin you around 180 degrees, effectively taking you out of the race. Breaking up the monotony are Pike's Peak bonus races which feel like a completely different game. Based on an actual (and very dangerous) historic race location, it's a challenge to reach the finish line without falling off a cliff. After that bit of excitement the normal races start to seem pretty dull... moreso. A two-player split-screen mode is included but it's bland without CPU competitors. Al Unser Jr.'s Road To The Top is too unrealistic for a simulation and too tedious for an arcade game, making it feel more like a road to nowhere. © Copyright 2021 The Video Game Critic.

When you have two super-powerful life forms in the universe, it's only a matter of time before they battle for supremacy. This game allows you to play out this surprisingly common male fantasy. I was stoked to see the game is a side-scrolling brawler like Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991). Instead of fighting thugs on city streets you are a lone Predator disposing of Aliens on an intergalactic outpost. Alien Vs. Predator takes some liberties with the aliens, depicting them in a wide variety of sizes and colors. The sprites are huge, which helps me forgive the fact that this is one-player only. For the first few minutes the game seems almost too good to be true. In addition to standard attacks (punch combos, jump-kick, slide) there are plenty of weapons like spears, wrist blades, and cloaks of invisibility. I love how the spears pass through several aliens at once. Your most useful attack is your laser, which you can charge to varying degrees. It's so effective it's almost criminal. If you can keep your distance from a group of enemies (or a boss), you can just repeatedly unleash laser blasts until they croak (literally - they make that noise!). Alien Vs. Predator would be great if not for some fundamental flaws. It's possible to throw aliens, but not into other aliens, which pretty much defeats the purpose. Invisible walls prevent you from tossing enemies off cliffs. It looks absolutely ridiculous to defeat enemies by sliding back and forth on a narrow icy ledge. I absolutely hate the fact that you can't pick up anything if you're already holding a weapon! If you have spears and find some meat you desperately need for health, you need to chuck those things as fast as you can. The scenery is not scary and kind of "blah". Indoor areas tend to have a drab industrial look and outdoor locations are surprisingly pixelated. The synthesized electronic music is very good but the ice cliff level makes an annoying clicking sound. Despite its flaws I enjoyed playing for score, especially since the high score is always displayed at the top. Alien Vs. Predator isn't a bad game, but there's no excuse for these quality control issues. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.

This game was ripped to shreds by critics in 1995. It may just be the most infamous SNES game of all time. From the outset, Batman Forever shows potential. An impressive intro shows the shadows of Batman and Robin running toward the screen, much like the ending sequence of the Batman and Robin movie. The menu screens are framed with molded rubber, and each stage is preceded by a cool rotating grid of city streets. The opening stage (the asylum) incorporates a beautiful shot of the Gotham skyline at night, complete with shimmering water below. I even like the menacing soundtrack. Batman Forever's characters are large and digitized, but that hurts the two-player mode, since you're constantly getting in your partner's way. Fighting fans will immediately realize that Acclaim recycled their Mortal Kombat engine for this game. The basic moves are the same, including the uppercut, leg sweep, roundhouse kick, and rapid-fire punching. The fighting action seems reasonable at first, but you'll soon get tired of dispatching of the same clones over and over again. These guys can absorb a lot of damage! It's tough to be sandwiched between two villains, but a nice backhand punch or leg kick can keep them at bay. The stop-motion animation isn't bad, but Acclaim clearly did not use the actors from the movie. Robin has a sizeable gut, and Batman has a sack of potatoes in his pants! But the game's problems run far deep than that. The glossy, full-color manual never bothers to explain how to climb up and drop down through holes in the floor. As a result, it took me two FAQ pages to figure out how to get past the first stage! The game expects you to climb onto unseen ledges and drop down into areas not visible to the eye. Batman Forever makes a mockery of common sense. Why would destroying a safe cause a door to open on the lower level? There are times when you'll find yourself walking (and fighting) on thin air! The darker levels feature nice gothic scenery, but brighter levels (like the circus) look cheesy. Another annoying thing is having to wait for the game to load as you stare at "HOLD ON". This only lasts a few seconds, but this is a cartridge for Pete's sake! From top to bottom, Batman Forever is a complete mess. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

If you thought Batman Returns was good on the Genesis, you'll be blown away by this remarkable SNES game. With a completely different look and feel, this plays more like Streets of Rage or Final Fight. In contrast to the dark, grainy graphics of the Genesis version, the visuals here look bright and crisp. Batman Returns more or less follows the film's storyline, with the Catwoman and Penguin serving as the main villains. The fluidly-animated characters are absolutely huge, and the fighting action is top-notch. Not only can you execute the obligatory punches, jump-kicks, and throws, but you can actually fling enemies into the background scenery! I can't put into words how satisfying it is to toss a thug through a department store window! You'll need to beat down belligerent clowns of all sizes, including fire-blowers, sword-swallowers, jugglers, and skull-headed motorcyclists - to name a few. Should you find yourself between two enemies, you can grab them both and bash their heads together! Superb sound effects accompany the action, so when you slam one evil clown into another, it makes an audible "thud". Your Batarangs and spear gun provide you with projectile attacks, and you also have a supply of "test tubes" that function as smart bombs, obliterating all visible enemies on the screen. Although the Batmobile driving stage isn't as flashy as the Sega CD version, it's still a nice bonus. The snow-covered Christmas scenery is a joy to behold, and some stages feature nifty lighting effects - very impressive for a 1992 game! The dramatic musical score is also outstanding and apparently lifted directly from the film. Is there anything wrong with Batman Returns? Well, Batman looks like he let himself go a bit and picked up about 50 pounds. Also, some gamers may regard the non-stop fighting as repetitive, but in my opinion that comes with the territory. This may be the best Batman game of all time, thanks to its winning combination of tight controls and gorgeous 2D graphics. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

This light gun shooter has "cookie-cutter" stamped all over it. It looks like a product rushed out the door to give new SNES Super Scope owners something to buy. The gun calibration screen expects you to squint through that little viewfinder, but no way could anyone be expected to play the game like that. It's bad enough you have to hoist this huge bazooka thing onto your shoulder! Light guns games typically require you crank up the brightness on your TV, but Bazooka Blitzkrieg saves you the trouble by making the stages ultra bright to begin with. As a consequence the scenery appears extremely bland and washed out. There's really not much to see except generic urban landscapes that repeat over and over. The good news is, the Super Scope is super accurate. You can even hit the edges and corners of the screen with no problem. You engage rapid-fire by holding the trigger, and get this - there's no reloading! Being able to unleash a never-ending stream of bullets is kind of fun. You view the action from a first-person perspective as the camera slowly pans to the right. It's easy to mow down the armed Decepticons that drop into view, and often you can kill them before they even land on the ground! The fact that they disappear in an orange puff is pretty lame however. Be sure to shoot out every window, bottle, trash can, and light post. These extraneous objects are worth more points than the robots! In stage two you travel along a bridge while shooting bots on cycles and helicopters in the sky. The uptempo electronic music is good but repetitive. The main problem with this game is its uneven difficulty. You'll breeze through an entire stage only to be instantly obliterated by the boss. I had to stick to the novice skill level just to make some progress. The "bootcamp" mode features multiplayer, but it's turns only. Bazooka Blitzkrieg isn't great, but if you already own a Super Scope this will give you an excuse to dust it off - if only for a little while. Note: Light guns do not work on modern HDTVs. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (Genesis, 1993) was a serviceable platformer but this SNES edition is an utter abomination. I refuse to believe someone actually play-tested this steaming pile of donkey excrement. Unlike the Genesis version, you begin with a dagger instead of a sword, and it has a range of about a half inch. Stuck in a wooden lodge with rampaging wolves and spear-toting lesbians, you'll suffer plenty of damage before you'll even locate the sword. It doesn't help that every creature takes at least three hits to kill. The stunning visuals of the movie have been replaced by lackluster stages rendered in muted brown tones. As you forge through cottages, forests, and castles you'll come across foes never seen in the movie like giant spiders and skeletons. For some reason every enemy explodes when you kill it - including a swarm of flies! That's just stupid. The number of cheap hits is outrageous. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to deal with those spear traps. On the Genesis I could sprint through them and sacrifice some life, but in this game you suffer too much damage and instantly die. Other cheap hazards include boulders and giant spiders that fall directly on your head without warning. This game is so sloppy I actually encountered a knife-wielding thug on a bridge who was facing the wrong direction, stabbing away at thin air. Outside of Dracula and his maidens, the bosses are random and generic. The soundtrack reminds me of that old song "Take My Breath Away" (by Berlin) but the audio is marred by constant random grunting sounds. Who in the [expletive] is making those noises?! At least the Genesis version of Bram Stoker's Dracula was playable; this doesn't even feel like a finished product. © Copyright 2014 The Video Game Critic.

As a rabid fan of Streets of Rage (Genesis, 1991) and Final Fight (SNES, 1991), I actively seek out similar side-scrolling fighters. Brawl Brothers offers five cool characters to kick ass with, including a ninja, a chick, and an M. Bison look-a-like. You get more moves than your garden-variety fighter, including counters, sliding attacks, and the ability to hit a baddie while he's down. You begin by beating up thugs in the city streets. The buildings have detailed facades, and cars can be seen parked down the side streets with a looming skyline in the distance. This scene quickly gives way to a bridge with a nice view of the bay. While fighting goons on the bridge you're attacked by an impressively large helicopter, and you'll need to jump to stay out of its line of fire. The bridge eventually collapses and you find yourself at the entrance of a sewer. This is when Brawl Brothers takes a turn for the worst. The sewer is an elaborate maze and unless you know exactly which doorways to enter, you can be trapped in there for all of eternity. When it comes to bad ideas in video games, this would have to rank near the top. If and when you escape, you'll find yourself in a jungle stage littered with land mines. Ugh! There are weapons to pick up like bats or pipes, but you swing them at an inexplicably high angle that makes it hard to actually hit anything. Eating a wedge of cheese you find lying on the ground will replenish your life. (Side note: This happened to me once in real life. Years ago my wife and I were walking down the street in Ocean City MD and she discovered a cold, vacuum-sealed wedge of cheese on the sidewalk. Against my objections, she insisted the cheese was perfectly good and kept it! Apparently she used the thing in a recipe sometime later. In light of my experience, I have to give Brawl Brothers extra credit for realism.) A nice options screen lets you customize many aspects of the game, including the ability to hit your partner in two-player mode. Brawl Brothers would have made a very good Final Fight clone, but whenever the designers tried to get creative they just shot themselves in the foot. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Submitted by RPG correspondent Jonathan Hawk
This was Capcom's initial foray into the RPG genre. While I am glad it wasn't their last, Breath of Fire (BoF) amounts to a ho-hum execution of a pretty good idea. The generic plot has an army of "big badness" storming up trouble around the world. You play as Ryu, a strapping young lad from a race of dragon people. Your sister has been abducted, so you're off to fulfill your destiny and defeat the dark forces of the world. Per RPG rules, Ryu picks up some allies along the way, each of who posses different powers. It's important to note that all of the characters in the Breath of Fire universe are human-like animals. For instance, there's a girl with bird wings, a fish person, an ox person, etc. Each character has a unique feature that they can use when they're leading the party, and you can switch between your eight party members at will. Breath of Fire's graphics and audio were seemingly okay for the time, but the "fight song" during combat gets very repetitive. Speaking of which, the combat system features a 3/4 view from behind, and attacks are embellished with very simple animations. Encounters are both random but frequent, almost to the point of leaving one fight to get into another. Unfortunately, the script/dialog is so simple that it can be easy to miss (or forget) your next mission! The tasks in BoF tend to be closely intertwined, so to get one item, you need to do 'X', and to do that, you need to do 'Y', etc. To power up Ryu to a reasonable level, you need to find several pieces of equipment by fishing for them with a certain fishing pole that is easily missed. On his journey Ryu will enter "Dragon Temples" where he learns how to transform himself into different kinds of dragons. Another cool feature is how the thief can "fuse" with two other characters, combining their HP and attack power. You can save your game by speaking to Dragon Statues located in towns you visit, but the dungeon crawls between them are often far too long. Did I mention this game has NO WORLD MAP? That's right, you have to figure out where you are based on your surroundings. This makes it really easy to get lost over the massive ocean once you learn how to fly. All in all, Breath of Fire is a nice try, but Capcom could do better. Towards the end, I even found myself asking, "Am I almost done yet?" < © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Submitted by RPG correspondent Jonathan Hawk
Okay, Capcom, fair play. This second entry in the Breath of Fire series is moderately enjoyable. BoF II established two staples of the series: there will always be a Dragon-guy named Ryu, and there will always be a bird-winged girl named Nina. This sequel delivers improved graphic quality, better music, and a great deal more story than the first game. Best of all, Capcom finally came to their senses and incorporated a much-needed world map! The action begins with your friend Bow being framed for a crime he didn't commit, prompting you to set out to clear his name along with a few allies. As the story develops you uncover eerie events and monsters disguised as people in an intricate plot of conspiracy and supernatural activity. A particularly interesting aspect of the game is your ability to "fuse" your characters with one or more "Shamen" (girls with elemental powers), altering their appearance and combat abilities in the process. The combat has been upgraded in the form of a standard, side-based view, and the attack animations are much better. The number of encounters is about the same, but this time you have an indicator on your menu to tell you the level of monsters in the area. Ryu is easy to power-up, and fishing for his equipment is optional this time. Bleu (a character from the first game) is available for your party, but only as a secret character. You can save your progress at Dragon Statues or churches, and churches also offer helpful hints in case you forgot what you should be doing. Like the first game, party order still matters, so the character in the front can always do something special. To change the members of your party however, you have to go back to your base of operations. Speaking of which, you can build and populate your own town in this game, and later turn it into a "mobile home" of sorts (hence the pun "TownShip"). Fans of the first game will notice plenty of in-jokes. In the end, Breath of Fire II is a pretty enjoyable story and entertaining game. Capcom must have taken their criticism to heart, because they churned out a much better game this time around. < © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

If you can overlook its muddy, pixelated graphics, Brett Hull delivers a reasonably good hockey experience - especially if you play against a friend. When beginning a new game you'll hear "Good evening and welcome to Brett Hull Hockey. I'm Al Michaels." It sounds like he's about to launch into a pre-game analysis, but he just leaves you hanging. The action is viewed from a surprisingly low angle at one end of the rink. As the puck moves up and down the rink, the system's built-in scaling is put to good use, giving you a nice, wide angle of the action. Unfortunately, it's really hard to make out the goal at the far end, especially with players bunched up in front of it. The pixelated players look indistinct and their uniform colors are bland. The passing controls are good, and I discovered I could maintain possession of the puck and pass it around with relative ease. Scoring requires a lot of luck, and the choppy animation makes it hard to follow the puck around the goal. Sometimes you'll need to use the instant replay just to see how the puck got into the net! Brett Hull Hockey can't match the sharp visuals and slick animation of NHL 95 (Electronic Arts), but it does deliver more exciting moments than your average hockey title. More often than not, shots deflect off the goalie or pull him way out of position, providing some golden second-chance opportunities. Players on both teams are sent scrambling when they see that open net! The game has its share of jarring body checks, and it's satisfying to lay an opponent out on the ice. Al Michael's play-by-play sounds unintentionally comical, because he only refers to players by their number. "Takes a hit from 60. Passes to 2. Stolen by 47. Over to 10..." The crowd noise is spirited, adding life to the arena. Between periods porno music kicks in as you view a pixelated mug shot of Brett Hull strung out on Quaaludes. Brett Hull Hockey 95 never had much of a chance against EA's NHL juggernaut, but if you give it a shot, you might just like it. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

The old Bugs Bunny cartoons of the 1950's are timeless, yet Rabbit Rampage turns those classic adventures into nightmares. At a glance this game would appear to have all the essential ingredients. The scenery looks gorgeous, especially the snow-covered slopes of the opening stage. The characters are large and razor sharp. I recognized a few obscure characters from the old cartoons, like the giant lumbering outlaw, the bird-like aliens of Mars, the witch on the broom, and that loveable dancing frog. The comical animations are extremely elaborate. When a cowboy takes a hit his pants fall down and his face turns red. The music is lifted from the classic shorts and there's even a crystal clear "what's up doc?" digitized voice. The stages resurrect classic scenes like the bull and matador, the story of the three pigs, and Hansel and Gretel. With so much potential, it breaks my heart how poorly this game plays. It's as if the designers doubled down on every annoying thing you've ever dealt with in a platformer. Your weapons are pathetic. You'll toss pies at hound dogs and politically-incorrect Indians, but the pies travel about an inch and you need to land three or four just to have an effect. Most "weapons" are indirect in nature, like a dynamite stick or exploding bone. Your adversaries on the other hand are armed with heat-seeking bullets and arrows that track you all over the screen! Every level is crawling with respawning enemies and the collision detection works against you. The controls are so needlessly complex you'll need to consult the manual just to figure out how to fall down a hole. The repetitive stage layouts make no sense and blind leaps of faith are the norm. Boss encounters recall memorable scenes (remember Yosemite Sam and the black dragon?) but they drag on like a never-ending hell. Rabbit Rampage is visually enticing but rest assured playing it is a thoroughly miserable experience. © Copyright 2016 The Video Game Critic.