The Video Game Critic's
Genesis Reviews D-E

Despite its intriguing premise, Dashin' Desperadoes doesn't live up to its potential. Played on a side-scrolling split-screen, two players (or one against the computer) race towards the right, attempting to be the first to reach the babe at the end. It certainly sounds like fun, and the graphics and music are better than average. Detailed stages feature scenic backdrops, multiple pathways, animals to hop on, trampolines, and even skateboards to ride. You can make life more difficult for your opponent by tossing bombs or "rolling" into him. It's quite competitive, and knowing the course layouts gives you a huge advantage. Stage themes run the gamut from lush jungles, to icy glaciers, to barren Western locales. The high quality soundtrack is impressive for the Genesis, including banjo music for the Western stages and steel drum music for the tropical areas. The incomprehensible voice synthesis, on the other hand, has got to go! Dashin' Desperadoes' early stages are a blast. Because they contain minimal obstacles, you can move through them at a breakneck pace. Unfortunately, as the stages become more complex, the fun factor drops precipitously. Once you have to start dealing with moving platforms, spike pits, pools of lava, and switches to open doors, it just becomes a big headache. Worse yet, the computer opponent is notoriously cheap, often magically appearing right behind you in the heat of a contest. If only Dashin' Desperadoes had embraced its simplicity instead of betraying it, this could have been a winner. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

Like Pat Riley Basketball that came before it, David Robinson's Supreme Court doesn't feature any real teams or players. You would think that at the very least David Robinson would be playable, but no, he's only here to give color commentary at halftime and the end of the game! So why in the heck is he shown dunking on the cover? Anyway, while this game isn't great, it did lay the groundwork for the excellent NBA Live games that would be released later for the Genesis. The players are small but realistically detailed, and the court is viewed diagonally. Unfortunately, your view changes when you cross the mid court line, which is disorienting. The action is fast and the dunks look great, but jump shots and passes have little or no arc to them. The controls are fine for the most part, but making three point or foul shots is ridiculously hard. Blocking is nearly impossible on defense, but stealing is effective. The audio isn't bad; you can hear sneakers squeak, and the background music is kind of funky. It's not great, but Supreme Court was definitely a step in the right direction. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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.

This offbeat platformer doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Decap Attack stars a headless mummy who "punches" foes with a head that bursts from his chest. Sometimes there's a skull on his shoulders he can throw to knock out several enemies at once. This is not your every day, garden-variety mummy. The action is pretty standard as you hop between platforms, collect potions, and pounce on cartoonish monsters. The object is to reach the end of each stage, although it's not always obvious which direction that lies. Potions you collect become available for use in a separate item screen, accessible by pressing A. You can use this screen to read a description of each item, but the user interface is terrible! The idea of selecting your power-up is unique, but most only last for a few seconds. Worse yet, when you try to use them against a boss, the game says "you can't use that here". Decap Attack's graphics won't win any awards. The background scenery lacks a sense of depth, and looks like a bland patchwork of tiled images. I really don't like games where you can jump on clouds. It's just not very realistic. Some levels won't allow you to exit unless you go back and collect a specific item, which strikes me as bad design. The most appealing thing about Decap Attack is its Halloween theme. Okay, it's not overtly Halloween, but it does have skulls, ghosts, and werewolves. Your character throws his head for Pete's sake! I like Decap Attack's weird, jaunty theme song, as well as the creepy organ music that kicks in when you die. The game doesn't provide any score or password, and that severely hampers its replay value. On the whole, Decap Attack feels like a mishmash of tired platform elements, but it's still fun if you're in the mood for a mindless romp. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

Here's an exciting action/strategy game that was clearly inspired by the Gulf War. You pilot a helicopter in a series of missions in a desert environment, viewing the action from a three-quarter overhead perspective. From large building complexes to tiny soldiers, the graphics are realistic and well detailed. The excellent control system makes it easy to control the helicopter. The A, B, and C buttons are assigned hellfire missiles (powerful), hydra missiles (medium), and machine guns, respectively. The Start button brings up your current status, a map, and your current objectives (no need to have the manual on hand). Desert Strike is fun to play and requires quick thinking as well as strategy. If you go in just trying to blow everything up, you'll use up all of your ammo and wind up a sitting duck. As you take out specific targets, additional fuel and ammo become available. There is a wide variety of missions including destroying targets, rescuing prisoners, capturing an ambassador, stopping an oil spill, and taking out SCUD launchers. Passwords allow you to save your progress after completing each mission. The difficulty ramps very gradually. Desert Strike is a very original and well-designed game. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

Nobody knows basketball like Dick Vitale, but this basketball game is a disaster. Awesome Baby attempts to use a 3D rotating court (like NCAA College Basketball on the SNES) but the Genesis just isn't powerful enough to handle it. The frame rate is slow, the animation is incredibly choppy, and the action feels like it's happening in slow motion. Just trying to keep track of the blinking ball is nearly impossible. The players don't look bad, and the background features a dimly lit stadium of fans. The six-button controller is supported, but as you can imagine, it's not very responsive. The background music is more suitable for a porno flick, and Vitale's commentary is surprisingly sparse. And here's the kicker: there are NO real college teams, just a bunch of states!! That hurts. Awesome Baby is one of the worst sports games I've seen on the Genesis. "It's Awful, Baby!!!" © Copyright 2002 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.

This is one of those games that didn't attract much attention when it was released, but if you get your friends playing it, they'll be at it all night. This Tetris-like game is a spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games, in which Dr. Robotnik was the main villain. It plays like this: pairs of beans descend down the screen, and you can rotate each pair and position where they fall. If you get four beans of the same color adjacent to each other, they explode, and the result can lead to some nifty chain reactions. This game is pure fun. The concept is so easy to grasp that anyone can pick up a controller and start playing, but when the action heats up only careful strategy will prevail. Three modes include a scenario mode and a head-to-head challenge. There's even a little tutorial to get you started. The music is excellent too. Bean Machine is the kind of game that appeals to everyone. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

Here's one a lot of you might remember. The cover of the game has a photo of an Arnold look-alike with face paint and a big gun. Dynamite Duke is a "behind-the-back" shooter, similar to Nam 1975 (Neo Geo) or Cabal (NES). You move your gunner side to side across the bottom of the screen as soldiers, tanks, and helicopters shoot incredibly large, slow-moving projectiles in your direction. Your weapons are mostly semi-automatic, so you can mow down groups of bad guys at a time, giving you a nice warm feeling inside. One odd thing about Duke is that there's a huge hole in the middle of his body that lets you see through him. Duke, that's never going to heal if you don't stop picking at it! Dynamite Duke may not have the most detailed graphics in the world, but I'll give it props for having some HUGE sprites. I also like how you can blow up much of the scenery, revealing weapons and power-ups. While most of your time is spent dodging missiles and spraying bullets, the end-of-stage bosses provide the opportunity for some hand-to-hand action. By far, the bosses are the most difficult aspect of the game. You'll routinely roll through a whole stage without breaking a sweat, and then blow through all three continues on one boss. In close combat, Duke's punches look pretty cool, but his kicks look pathetic! If you like short, action-packed arcade games, Dynamite Duke is a fair way to pass the time. © Copyright 2003 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.

ESPN Baseball Tonight makes a terrific first impression. The players look plain, but the animation is absolutely stunning, particularly the pitcher delivery and the way the ball comes off the bat. The designers tried create the look of an ESPN telecast, but the results are mixed. There are bits of commentary by Dan Patrick and Chris Berman, but most of the time the game is strangely silent - even the fans get very quiet. Your view is always from behind the catcher, which is often not an ideal angle. The camera might pan from side-to-side, but it never zooms in on the fielders. When the ball is hit to the outfield, you have to control fielders in the far distance, and it's hard to judge the ball. The pitching is impressive, but the fielders are pretty stiff, and it's hard to react to balls hit down the line. Despite these problems, ESPN Baseball is still playable. It has all the major league teams and players, but is sorely lacking the stadiums, which is a big deal in my book. In the end, ESPN Baseball Tonight only amounts to another long fly ball. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

Earnest Evans wants to Indiana Jones, but he's not even Pitfall Harry. This game has all the necessary elements of an exciting adventure: Caves, traps, idols, skeletons, and porcupines, but the gameplay is lacking. The action consists mostly of platform jumping and using your chain (not a whip!) to dispose of monsters. The Earnest character is huge and funky-looking. He moves more fluidly than most game characters because his body is composed of a series of individual sprites. Somebody programmed sprite rotation into this game, and it's used to good effect. Earnest will automatically crouch in tight quarters, and roll when sliding. Unfortunately, trying to get him OUT of those positions is hard to do, especially when a huge worm is chomping at him. The collision detection is terrible, and you'll often find yourself stuck partially in walls or floors. Most of the monsters here are pretty generic, but I was definitely impressed by those giant skeletons - very intimidating. Unfortunately, many monsters appear with little warning, and some can kill you almost instantly. The bosses are surprisingly dull and uninteresting. The music is standard Genesis fare, meaning it's pretty much interchangeable with any other action title on the system. Earnest Evans provides several continues, which mercifully allow you to pick up right where you died. The game has its share of innovations, but the unresponsive control really spoils the fun. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

At a time when platform games appeared to be running out of ideas, Earthworm Jim came along and reinvigorated the genre with its unique gameplay, artistic flair, and wicked sense of humor. Jim is practically an institution to some Genesis fans, but gamers new to the series may be discouraged by the game's excessive difficulty. Clearly, Earthworm Jim was programmed by experts for experts. Its superb animation, crisp control, and amazing audio pushes the system's capabilities. The lead character is a comical worm in a muscle-bound suit who can whip his head at enemies. Jim is also armed with a rapid-fire gun that can be powered up. Set on various bizarre planets, the graphics are among the best ever seen on the Genesis. The colorful platforms appear painted on the screen, and the way they twist and turn convey a true sense of depth. The first few stages are generic in nature, but you'll eventually trek through more interesting areas like glass tubes under the sea and the intestines of a huge creature. One of the last stages is truly original - it takes place in almost complete darkness! The character animation is silky smooth and genuinely funny, and the ability to "launch a cow" is indicative of the game's offbeat humor. What really makes this game fun however is its rapid-fire shooting action. You can't actually see the bullets (a novel concept for 1994) but it's quite satisfying to blast attacking psychotic birds and dogs. The platform jumping is less fun but not excessively difficult. The bosses are interesting but some are far too difficult. The very first boss (which is really a sub-boss) is outrageously hard. But Earthworm Jim is more than platform jumping and shooting. In fact, the variety of challenges in this game are remarkable. In one stage you must guide an oblivious pup to safety, and another puts you in a bungee-jumping contest with a huge ball of snot. There are even 3D stages where you race through a space tube while avoiding asteroids. But where's the password feature? Having to start each game from the first stage is a travesty! The audio is a collection of eclectic tunes that perfectly match the game's unconventional tone, and the sound effects are top notch. Earthworm Jim is certainly one of a kind, though casual gamers may find it somewhat frustrating. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Although less celebrated than the original, Earthworm Jim 2 (EJ2) is far less frustrating and caters to the casual gamer. Like its predecessor, the stages are wacky and irreverent, set on a series of surreal planets. Expanding on the great platform-shooting action set forth by the first game, EJ2 introduces five new weapons and the innovative new "snot swing" move. There's some truly imaginative stuff here; I can only surmise that mind-altering drugs played a key role in the Earthworm 2 brainstorming sessions. In one carnival-style stage, Jim inflates his head with helium, allowing him to float through the stage, and it's absolutely hilarious. There's a "puppy-tossing" mini-game which sounds sick, but is undeniably fun. Each stage seems to introduce a novel new gameplay mechanic, like "Lorenzo's Soil" where you traverse an underground maze by blasting through its soil. There's even a side-scrolling shooter stage where you glide over beautiful islands and shimmering blue water. A password feature and "easy" difficulty setting keep the level of frustration to a minimum. Earthworm Jim 2's graphics are absolutely brilliant, and the audio is no less impressive. Clever sound effects include old ladies who accuse you of being "fresh" as they fall into your lap. After viewing the humorous ending, I finally realized EJ2 has a distinct Monty Python influence. So if you tried the first Earthworm Jim but couldn't overcome its insane difficulty, give this quality sequel a go. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Ecco the Dolphin was critically acclaimed in 1992, and hailed as the first of a new breed of games that would eschew violence in favor of constructive, thought-provoking gameplay (Ha!). Ecco is more puzzle game than arcade game, with spectacular water effects and a brilliantly colorful undersea world. Your dolphin's movement is silky smooth, and swimming around in the open sea and jumping out of the water is fun in of itself. The goal of each stage is not immediately apparent, but you'll discover hints by "talking" to other sea creatures you encounter. You'll open passages, save other dolphins, avoid deadly sharks, and eventually destroy an "ancient evil" in the grand finale. Your 25-stage journey will even take you through back through time to the lost city of Atlantis. It's fun to see what each new stage has in store. The difficulty level is ideal, providing plenty of challenge but little in the way of frustration. A password is provided at the end of each stage. In addition to its gorgeous graphics, Ecco's music is also amazing, with sometimes ominous yet mostly relaxing undersea tones. Action-oriented gamers may find Ecco a bit tedious, but ultimately this is a very satisfying adventure. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

Your favorite dolphin is back with a whole new collection of puzzles, so if you liked the first Ecco, it goes without saying that you'll love this one. In this edition you'll rescue baby Orcas, teleport to distant lands, and even morph into other sea creatures. The gameplay is more complex this time around, resulting in tougher and more complicated puzzles. There's a new pseudo-3D obstacle course stage in which you swim through rings, but it didn't do much for me. Like the first Ecco, the graphics and sound are top notch. The music is more funky this time around, and it will grow on you. With over 40 levels of head-scratching puzzle fun, Tides of Time is a solid sequel. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

Wow, another nice shooter for the Genesis! Elemental Master doesn't make a great first impression, but ultimately it proves itself worthy. You control a warrior walking up the screen who can shoot rapidly either forward or backward (but not both at once). Since you're walking on the ground, you'll need to navigate around rocks and pits, and the scenery looks pitiful. The grainy, blocky landscape looks like something from an ugly old computer game (Ultima comes to mind), but at least the monsters are an interesting bunch. You'll face giant bats, skeleton warriors, crabs, centaurs, wizards, and floating eyeballs. The variety of adversaries is remarkable - there's always something new on the horizon. The bosses, which include a lava man, serpent, and giant porcupine, look good and aren't excessively difficult. Power-ups are exposed by shooting treasure chests. You can choose the order of the first four stages, and each rewards you with a new "elemental" shooting power. I found the diagonal-shooting "fire" weapon to be the best of the bunch. Not only can you switch these weapons on the fly, but holding down the fire button powers up a single devastating burst. There are eight stages in all. Elemental Master is not a well-known Genesis shooter, but it's definitely worth investigating. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

Released at the height of Street Fighter hysteria, Eternal Champions was Sega's attempt to cash in on the 2D fighter craze. On paper this game looks pretty impressive, with a diverse roster of nine fighters plucked from every period of history, from a primitive caveman to a futuristic cyborg. There's a vampire, acrobat, bounty hunter, gangster-era gumshoe, spell-casting warlock, sexy assassin, and a lizard-man from Atlantis. It sounds like a fine selection, but the warlock (Xavier) is a pencil-necked geek, the gumshoe (Larcen) looks more like an investment banker, and the bounty hunter (Blade) has the physique of an overweight weatherman. Each fighter's moves are listed in the 64-page manual, and many are "charge" moves. Eternal Champion's graphics are colorful but grainy and indistinct, and the soundtrack is pretty cheesy. The game adopts a comic-book style, but it lacks the playability of other 2D fighters. The collision detection is lousy and hits lack impact due to the hallow sound effects. Most of the more elaborate special moves inflict minimal damage, so what's the point? Don't get too cute, or your button-mashing friends will beat you to a pulp! On a positive note, stages like Atlantis and the New England village are very interesting, and the game's voice synthesis is surprisingly clear for the Genesis. But the highlight of the game is its over-the-top fatalities. I've seen losers get riddled with bullets in drive-by shootings, dragged underwater by sea monsters, tossed into giant fans, and burned at the stake. Eternal Champions is designed for the six-button controller, but it's also compatible with Sega's infamous "Activator" controller. Have you tried this thing? It's a motion-sensing ring that was supposed to usher in a new era of "virtual reality", but it's a joke! Instead of mimicking real martial arts moves, you'll find yourself hopping on one leg and waving your arms like some drunk failing an alcohol test! Eternal Champions is really thin in terms of options and playing modes. Once you begin a one-player game, there's no way to quit out of it! And why can't you adjust the difficulty? The CPU blocks everything you can dish out! Eternal Champions will be interesting to collectors and fighting enthusiasts, but its just a footnote in a genre dominated by Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

Evander Holyfield is easily the best and most realistic of the 16-bit boxing titles. The fighters, ring, and crowd look sharp, and a fine bikini-clad babe introduces each round. The boxers are viewed waist-up from the side, providing a close vantage point. Considering all the punch combinations you can throw, the three-button control scheme is well-designed. Unfortunately, like so many boxing games, the controls seem less-the-responsive as your boxer lags behind your commands. Then again, conserving your energy (as opposed to button mashing) is a key part of the strategy. The attractive graphics include realistic details like face cuts and flying sweat. In addition to the one or two-player exhibition mode, you can create your own boxer and work your way up to the championship in the Career mode. Real Deal is definitely one game that sports fans won't want to miss. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

Here's a competent but uninteresting platformer that feels more than a little like an X-Men rip-off. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the Ex-Mutants are humans endowed with super powers who must fend off an army of evil mutants. A lot of these mutants look a lot like Ewoks to me. Ex-Mutants doesn't have anything new to offer the side-scrolling genre, but that doesn't make it a bad game. You can play as the axe-wielding Ackroyd or the sexy Shannon. As you traverse caves, jungles, and laboratories, you'll follow the standard conventions with regards to collecting items, leaping between platforms, beating up thugs, and dodging traps. You can kick some ass, and I like how enemies explode into tasty chunks. Nifty voice samples are sometimes used ("You're goin' down!") to punctuate your beat-downs. Adding some variety are mine cart and "log ride" stages. Our heroes are equipped with a normal and a projectile attack. Ex-Mutant's controls are crisp and responsive, but the graphics are only average, and the music is dull. The default difficulty level is tough, but you can adjust this on the options screen. At least the game is forgiving, allowing you to pick up right where you left off after losing a life or using a continue. If only there were a password system so you wouldn't always have to start from stage one! Ex-Mutants won't set your world on fire, but if you're looking for a decent platformer, you could do much worse. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.