Game Review- Streets of Rage (1991) (Sega Mega Drive) Starting the Sega Reviews, I’ve decided to review one of my favourite games of all time. A game that is older then me but I remember playing when I was 6, always playing as Adam beating up Mr X’s minions on the Streets of Rage.
Plot- The plot is pretty basic, Mr X, the main villain has taken over a peaceful street and you have to play as either Axel, Adam or Blaze to stop Mr X. It’s a pretty basic story line but it is easier to immerse into the actual story because the accompanied music with the cut scene pulls you into the story and creates the mood of the game being outcasted by the police and your the only one to save this city. It could easily be turned into a movie.
Characters- Wasn’t everyone Axel? Nah I wasn’t I was player 2 so i had to be Adam and from there on I have always been Adam and it’s a shame that in the sequels he is not a playable character. Axel was the average stat character. Adam was good at punching and Blaze was good at kicking. It wasn’t the biggest choice in characters but it didn’t need to be. They are our 3 heroes and it should have stayed that way.
Gameplay- Beat em up’s were common in this period (Golden Axe, Final Fight, Double Dragon) Gameplay on Street’s of Rage is not the best and the previous games, besides Golden Axe had better Gameplay. The fighting was less “blocky” and flowed well. Street’s of Rage at times can be slow and repetitive and the enemies were slow or sometimes hard to hit. Also with the multiplayer option each human character kept on getting in the way and the characters have a tendency to grab each other which allows the enemies to hit you. The Gameplay isn’t terrible. It’s still enjoyable tapping like a crazed maniac killing the bosses and the clown jugglers and the girl with the whips. I liked the special attack which killed all enemies on the screen. No combos on this but it’s a beat em up, who needs a combo, you just need two buttons to press to hit. It should of had a block option because you really couldn’t defend yourself which made the game that little harder.
Enemies- This is important in a game to have recognisable enemies and Street’s of Rage have exactly that. They are repetitive but that’s good because you get to know each enemy. The standard Ginger minions, the gypsy kung fu people, the whipping girls, the clowns and the sliding punk rockers. As a kid I created names for all these people , which I won’t share :P It’s also the same for the bosses. The Pirates, The Wolverines, Fire Buddahs, Gymnastic Girls and the Ultimate Warriors. To create recognizable characters that I still remember stands testament to the game. I would of liked some more of a difference to each character but this was rectified in the sequels.
Scenery- The street scenery is beautiful and is some of the best in these types of games. It’s when it gets to the beach stage that the scenery slightly declines. Some levels look like rehashes from other games. The beach is the worst. They should have stuck with the distopian streets and not gone with cliche’s scenery. They could have been more creative for the last level too, a hotel is not that climatic place to put the ending.
Soundtrack- The music is one of the best ever to feature in Video games. It’s puts you straight into the mood to save this one peaceful city. Comparing to Golden Axe, I have no idea what Golden Axe is about because I didn’t care but the music in this game make sures you care. The composer, Yuzo Koshiro, did a fabulous job to create a standard beat em up and make it so cinematic. It’s one of those rare occasions when a soundtrack of a video games adds so much to a game that without it, it couldn’t of been a sub standard game. One of the greatest soundtracks of all time.
Overall- The thing about old games is that some can hold nostalgic value. Streets of Rage is no different. It’s a game that I claim is one of my favourite games of all time. Not the greatest game of all time but I enjoy playing every time. I can sit down on my own or with another player and just play it for hours. The game play isn’t that good, the plot is simple. But I still love it. The enemies are memorable, the scenery is at times amazing and the soundtrack is just fantastic. I always get immersed into the story. Adding the soundtrack, the characters, the infamous gameplay, the special attack, the scenery, it creates a game that has stood the test of time and still attract new and old fans. It has flaws but this game is just god damn beautiful. Game Rating- 8.5/10
Flash Game Review- Cyclomaniacs 2- Now this has got to be one of the most awesome flash game I have ever played. The concept of the game ios that you are a bike rider and you have to defeat other bike riders in a bike race. Before the race you get given two challenges, normally one challenge relates to position and you unlock the next race if you achieve and the other challenge is skill related and unlocks a new character. You can also play mini games and other little easter eggs that unlock characters.
What I like about this game, is that it isn’t a 10 minute killer game. I spent about 2 hours on this and the time flew by. This is because there are so many races and it never gets boring because it sometimes varies. One race you have to go backwards. Also the number of characters is astonishing. There’s about 50-60 racers. All are hilarious they range from Winston Churchill, Rocket Panda, Easy Rider, Jason Vorhees, Grim Reaper, David Hasselhoff and many more. There are also mini games that does pass the time but some are a bit naff. The game can get frustrating but that is part of the challenge.
I could of spent another 2 hours on this but I had to stop because I was getting to addicted to it. It’s a brilliant game with loads of characters, loads of races and so much fun. Game Rating - 9.5/10
Flash Game Review- Which Way Adventure- This is a okay role playing game that normally gives you two choices and whatever you choose has a reaction or consequences. You’re this random guy that has a choice of escaping school through a hole in the fence or jumping down a man hole.
Each led to a completely different scenario. One turn took you to a circus or a hobo train. One turn to you to a time machine and I met Shakespeare and I accidentally shot him. Also it led me to a nuclear weapons bunker where I started the third world war which led to the end of capitalism. Every time you took the wrong turn you would get killed by a Manitore just randomly. It was weird and wonderful and definitely killed a few minutes. Sometimes the choices looped and you were stuck in a situation and sometimes the manitore jumped out randomly and it was annoying. Also sometimes the game looked a bit lost. At one point it went into a different language and it was weird. However it is very quirky and weird just what I like in a flash game but it did have a few weaknesses which let it down but overall it was a pretty cool role playing game. Also at one point I went back in time to have sex with my mother!!! That’s the old Oedipus Complex according to Freudian Psychoanalysis, educational and damn right disturbing. I like it :) Flash Game Rating- 6.5/10
http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/whichwayadventure/playgame
Flash Game Review- Shark Mountain- Right this is a right old weird game. You are this shark that lives on top of a mountain and these people are trying to kill you. So to stop them you have to eat them. That’s the basic premise.
The controls are a little stiff and the game play is very repetitive but it is great if you want to kill 30 minutes or so. It’s strangely enjoyable eating human when your a shark. Especially when they wear stupid yellow hoodies and start pickaxing the ice. This is what flash was invented for. Stupid games that doesn’t make sense but can kill a few minutes when you need to kill a few minutes. It does get boring after a while and the controls are a bit naff. However a Shark + a Mountain, Nothing can go wrong. Flash Game Rating- 5/10
Game Review (Click Pictures for Captions) I’ve decided to Play Westward Trail, basically a knock off version of the Oregon Trail and these are some of the high points of my Journey. I set off with Jason The Almighty, Chicken Wing, Nipples, Crap, and small troll looking child. It all started off well with loads of food and 9 oxen but as soon as I hit the 100 mile mark things started to go pear shape and my child Crap getting ill, by vomiting up blood and a one point fell underneath the wagon and broke his arm. He quickly died which wasn’t a surprise as he was a nuance from the very first day. Then Nipples started to get ill as we were running low on food and couldn’t find anywhere to trade food and I was pretty shit hunting food. So nipples died and Chicken Wing follow suit by dying. It was just me Jason the Almighty and Small troll looking Child, Nope he died 1000 miles into the trail, which is halfway. So it was just me and the oxen till we get to Oregon Trail. NOPE again, I had to cross a river and lost most of my possessions including a Oxen. I had to go on several hunts to gather food but that wasn’t enough, I met another river and had to give Indians all my Clothes so they could help me cross the river safely. For hundreds of miles I went on numerous hunts, in a freezing winter with no clothes and the inevitable happened. I got stuck in a Snow Storm and I got hungry and this lead to cannibalism and lead to my death. Game Over- Game Rating 4/10 (Oregon Trail is much better, it’s more intelligent)
Game Review: Mc Kids (1992/1993)(Nes) Now continuing with the Macdonalds Theme, I’ve decided to review one of my favourite games from the NES era, this game is older them me so I did first play it around 98/99. Now my favourite NES game of all time is the amazing Super Mario Bros 3. McKids steals everything from SMB 3 the side scrolling, jumping, the map etc. But it still holds a kinda nostalgic feeling for me. The catchy 8 bit tunes, the ALL CAPS RAGE difficulty, and the freaky pedophile-ish Ronald MacDonald.
Now this game isn’t perfect by a mile, from it’s poor enemy killing system of throwing blocks which it took ages to kill a snail, the poor jumping system being hard to judge where your gonna land and there are a lot of hidden traps that you can only find out if you commit suicide. Which brings me onto the innovation of this game which i believe is the first game to have a commit suicide button and there was this cool bit where you were upside which was amazing.
Overall, the game is not a classic but I believe it is a good “cult” game and should be played by the thousands of die hard gamers. Criticised for its clear advertising of Macdonalds and copying SMB 3 and its increasing difficulty is the reason why this is so popular. The best thing about the game is the sound track, dowh dowh dowh. Loving the 8 Bit music!!!- 7/10
