The Video Game Critic's
Genesis Reviews T-Z

Would you like to know the difference between this game and a mosquito? At some point, a mosquito will stop sucking! This game never will!! Playing TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament is especially painful once you've been spoiled by modern, arcade-style fishing titles like Sega Bass Fishing (Dreamcast). In those games, the fish are practically jumping into the boat, but they'll be none of that here. No, TNN captures the excitement of actual fishing - which is to say, there is none. The menu interface and controls are well organized, but there's little action and minimal payoff. Locating a fish isn't too tough thanks to your handy fish-finder, but getting its attention is another story. Until you find the perfect combination of line, rod, and lure, that fish won't give you the time of day. And is it just me or do these fish look more like roaches? The underwater scenery consists of fake-looking logs and rocks that resemble human brains. I've only seen one fish actually caught in this game - my friend Scott caught a "crappie" - which seems oddly appropriate. The game includes a timer on the bottom of the screen to keep track of how much of your life you've wasted. The background music has a country twang I didn't find appealing - I'm still holding out for a good rap-themed fishing game. TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament is seriously lame. Was it even necessary to mention "Outdoors" in the title? Is there some bizarre indoor bass fishing sport I'm not familiar with? Kick this one to the curb and stick with King Salmon. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

Target Earth was recommended by one enthusiastic reader who claimed to have fond memories of the game. Isn't it amazing how nostalgia can impair a gamer's judgment!? Sorry dude, but Target Earth is pretty bad. As an early Genesis shooter, this one shows its age with confusing mission objectives, a tedious user interface, and generally poor gameplay. Controlling a high-jumping robot on a side-scrolling screen, you trek over hills and through bases while blasting enemy robots on the ground and ships in the air. You select your weapons at the beginning of each stage, but most are terribly weak. The only one I found remotely effective was the three-way shot, and that tends to run out of ammo in a hurry. Most of the others are too slow to deal with the relentless onslaught. Making matters worse, the trajectory of your shots doesn't match the slope of the hills, so you can never get a clean shot at approaching enemies. Cycling through your weapons using the C button is also a hassle. The action periodically comes to a screeching halt when you're radioed by headquarters, forcing you to page through a bunch of tedious text that cannot be skipped. But the thing I hate most of all about Target Earth is all of the random robots scampering around - you can't tell the good ones from the bad! Color is never a reliable indicator, making the game one big confusing mess. The graphics are below average, and the musical score is as generic as they come. I'm sure some gamers will have enough patience (and nostalgia) to appreciate the subtle nuances Target Earth has to offer, but casual gamers will be well advised to avoid it. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

Back in 1992 my friend Eric and I ran out to buy this game shortly after seeing a commercial for it. "Wow! Look at those graphics! It's like watching a cartoon!". Yes, the graphics and animation are exceptional, but after we put in some playing time we realized this was really "the game from hell". Platform games were a dime a dozen in 1992, and this is the ultimate example of how NOT to make one. Where do we start? First, the level designs are poor. It's all about jumping from one platform to the next without falling into the spikes or water below. You never really know where you're supposed to go - it's mostly trial and error. You're expected to make many "leaps of faith" where you must jump blindly, hoping there's a safe place to land off-screen. On top of that, the controls are horrendous! You can never get Taz to jump just the right distance. Another problem is Taz's habit of eating everything he touches. If you hop down a level and there's a bomb there, he'll automatically eat it and die. The different stages are pretty standard and unexciting. Of course there is the obligatory ice stage, in which control is even worse than normal. The kiss of death however, has got to be the hellish mine stage, where you have to jump between moving elevators that are sometimes off the screen. That's about as far as I got. The enemies in this game look freakish - nothing like you'd see in an actual Warner Bros cartoon. The sparse background music is fair, but the non-stop sound effects are incredibly irritating. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

This ambitious game is overflowing with features - too bad it failed to get the fundamentals right! Tecmo Super Baseball offers major league players and teams, player photos (albeit in grainy black and white), a slew of playing modes, and even the ability to manage your team instead of controlling the players. The controls are more robust than most Genesis baseball games. You can check your swing, sustain injury, throw a pitch-out, slide headfirst, adjust your defense, and intentionally walk a batter. The pitcher/batter screen can be viewed from either behind the batter or behind the pitcher, and both are equally playable. On top of it all, the game tracks both team and player statistics. Tecmo was trying to create the ultimate baseball game, but they messed up on some very basic things. The batting controls are unresponsive, forcing you to swing extremely early if you want a chance to make contact. The outfielders are selected for you automatically, but the CPU often chooses the wrong player. Sometimes there's a shallow pop-up over second base and the game selects the center fielder, located far off the screen. The computer opponent is dumb, walking pitchers and trying to stretch every hit into a double. The players look realistic in general, but the pitcher looks too big on the mound. Finally, although the umpire's voice is clear enough, I've never heard an umpire yell "Strike three - you stink!" like he does in this game. Tecmo Super Baseball had potential, but it only amounts to a long foul ball. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

This entertaining arcade-style football game was largely overshadowed by Madden, which dominated the Genesis year after year. Tecmo Super Bowl is faithful to the stellar NES version, almost to a fault. The graphics aren't much better, and the controls are exactly the same. Only two buttons are used on the controller, mirroring the NES control scheme. While some might consider this lack of innovation somewhat of a letdown, Super Bowl still delivers the same addictive Tecmo action that ruled the NES. The side view of the field gives you a good vantage point, except for receivers running off the screen when they going deep. The gameplay is easy to learn, and I love how tapping a button lets you to break tackles. Incomplete passes are always tipped into the air, but unfortunately you can't snag them. Exciting cut scenes accentuate diving catches, sacks, field goals, and celebrations. During field goals you get a terrific view of the ball passing through the uprights from a number of angles. In the proud tradition of the series, there's an entertaining halftime show with jumping cheerleaders and an air show. A battery backup saves your season mode and statistical data. If there's a flaw to be found with Tecmo Super Bowl, it lies in the audio. The obnoxious music is far less endearing than the quaint NES tunes, and the voice synthesis is awful. All in all, this is still the Tecmo Football you've always loved, although it's really no better than the old NES version. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

Super Bowl III offers more realism than previous Tecmo football titles, perhaps in an attempt to compete with the Madden series. Unfortunately, this added depth takes its toll on the fun factor. What made the Tecmo series so popular in the first place was its fast, arcade-style gameplay, but Super Bowl III feels uncharacteristically slow and laborious. Although the action is still viewed from the side, the graphics have been given a complete overhaul. The players appear more lifelike and the field more realistic, but the visuals lack the polish of past Tecmo games. There are some nifty new options, including weather conditions, injuries on/off, fumbles on/off, and three stadiums, including a baseball stadium with a diamond in the center. Other bells and whistles include digitized player photos and measures for first downs. Sadly, Tecmo's trademark halftime shows are nowhere to be found. Super Bowl III's basic gameplay is the same as previous editions, but there's a cool new hurdle move and the quarterback throws the ball with more zip. Unfortunately, you can't see as much of the field, and this makes selecting an open receiver more difficult. But the biggest change involves a new play selection system. You have a lot more plays to choose from, but the clunky user interface is slow, unresponsive, and hard to read. As a result, selecting your play is a chore. Playing against the computer is also a headache, as he takes forever to hike the friggin' ball (after yelling "hut" about ten times). The audio is less than appealing, with its grating music and scratchy voices. Tecmo Super Bowl III still has that winning gameplay at its core, but it lacks the charm and simplicity of the original. Note: A reader advised me that this was called "Final Edition" because Tecmo planned to continue the series on the Playstation, but that turned out to be a real dog (thanks AK). © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

When you compare Hyperstone Heist to the superior Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time (SNES, 1992), the limitations of the Genesis system become readily apparent. This game doesn't offer nearly the same degree of "eye candy"; both the characters and backgrounds look dull and indistinct. The fancy scaling effects of the SNES version are missing, and the audio takes a huge hit. Sure the catchy turtle theme sounds fine, but the distorted voice samples will make you cringe - they are so awful, I could barely understand them! In terms of gameplay, Hyperstone Heist is your standard two-player, side-scrolling beat-em-up, only faster. The same set of hooded ninjas drop out of the sky time after time, only in different colored outfits. The action is repetitive unless you mix up your attacks, but I do like how you can punch out three goons at the same time. Still, it's lame how defeated thugs simply vanish in a puff of smoke. Occasionally a power-up or exploding barrel will spice up the action, but these are few and far between. Dispatching those endless ninjas is mindless fun, but defeating the bosses requires some actual thought. Until you recognize their attack patterns, you'll go through your lives in a hurry. I love how the bosses blink red when they're about to die - now that's old school! The scenery is none too exciting, and I'm now convinced that sewers are the most boring places on earth to battle in. Other generic locations include city streets, a ghost ship, and Shredder's headquarters. Hyperstone Heist is no prize, but if you haven't been spoiled by the superior SNES game, it's not a bad way to pass the time. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

This was the first game of the classic Thunder Force series of shooters to be released in the U.S. Thunder Force 2 alternates between overhead and side-view stages. The overhead stages aren't too hot. You can fly in four directions, but this freedom presents a problem: where are you supposed to go? You can blow up everything in sight and open gates to access new areas, but your final objective is never quite clear. Finally I figured out that you need to destroy all the enemy fortresses to advance to the next stage. When I finally reached level 2, the REAL fun began. There's some great side-scrolling shooting action here, with all kinds of cool weapons. You'll get six continues to make it through nine excessively hard levels. Thunder Force 2 isn't great, but it set the stage for superior Thunder Force 3. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

This game set the standard for Genesis shooters. There's nothing but intense side-scrolling action here. You can choose the order in which to play the five stages, and you must beat all five to make it to the final stage. This is a great system because all five of the stages offer a unique theme: fire/volcanoes, underwater, jungle, snow, or underground. The underwater stage features bubbles that push up your ship up, the underground stage has shifting rocks, and the volcanic stage features some incredible wavy heat effects. The graphics are clean and the music is fantastic, and the bosses are complex with many moving parts. And thank God this is not impossibly hard like Thunder Force 2. A sequel to this game, Lightening Force, was released in 1992. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

When I first reviewed Toejam and Earl, I gave it a pretty mediocre grade, but after taking some grief from the game's legion of devoted fans, I decided to give it a second chance. It took a few hours, but gradually Toejam and Earl did indeed grow on me. In case you've never experienced this unique title, it's a relatively slow-paced, collect-the-items experience with cheesy graphics and a really juvenile sense of humor. Toejam and Earl are two rapping space aliens searching for the ten pieces of their crashed space ship. The funky hip-hop theme is evident by their sneakers, chains, funky walks, and bass-heavy music. As one or two players roam the nondescript planet surfaces, you collect helpful (and not-so-helpful) items wrapped as presents. Examples include high-top shoes that let you sprint, a slingshot that launches tomatoes, a pogo stick, or an inner tube that lets you float in water. You'll encounter strange characters like a jetpack-wearing Santa, a woman with a screaming kid in a shopping cart, a sexy hula girl, and a guy dressed up as a carrot. These inject some humor and break up the monotony of your aimless wandering. The planet surfaces are randomly generated, but they all tend to look the same. The planet is actually composed of several planes, and it's quite easy to fall from a high one to a lower one, which is really aggravating. What I found compelling about the game is the challenge of locating all the pieces. To do so, you'll need to do a lot of exploring and use your items strategically. Toejam and Earl is time consuming and you can't save your place, so make sure you have a few hours set aside before you begin your quest. The two-player mode splits the screen so each player has his own view, and this was quite novel for 1991. The music is probably the highlight of the game. These funky tunes don't sound like much as first, but they gradually get under your skin. There's even a "Jam Out" mode where you insert samples into a mini music video, and it's surprisingly fun. The game also features some nice psychedelic effects, including a hypnotic elevator sequence. Toejam and Earl is one of those games whose sum is greater than its parts. It's not the most exciting adventure, but if you give it a chance, it might just win you over © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

In this episode our funky alien friends have accidentally unleashed those disgusting humans from Earth on their home planet of Funkotron. Your job is to capture all of these obnoxious creatures and send them back. The look and gameplay are completely different from the first game - Panic is more of a traditional side-scroller. In addition to collecting items, you capture the humans by throwing magical jars at them. The visuals are fantastic, with cartoon-quality animation. Each level has a completely different look, and there are even some hidden mini-games. My favorite is the one that allows you to "jam" with funky friends by copying beat sequences they play. This is not only great fun, but it was also the precursor to later music games like Parappa the Rapper (Playstation) and Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast). The high-quality music is similar to the first game, but the sound effects are much improved. The two-player mode has been retained, although it's not as good since you must remain on the same screen as your partner. A password feature allows you to save your spot. Don't miss out on this underrated game. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

For being the first Genesis baseball game, this isn't nearly as bad as I expected. Tommy Lasorda has a fast-paced, arcade quality that I like. The behind-the-batter viewpoint features large, well-animated players, and the transparent catcher looks particularly good. Once the ball is hit, the game switches to a rather cheesy overhead perspective. This doesn't exactly show off the Genesis' graphics prowess - in fact, the players look like blobs. The fielding is easy enough, but you can't jump or dive, and it's frustrating when a ground ball rolls just out of your reach. Intuitive controls let you lead off, steal, slide, tag up, position fielders, commit errors, pinch-hit, or bring in a relief pitcher. The pitchers seem to have a big advantage over the hitters - it's hard to hit the ball! Little details mean a lot in a baseball game, and I love how you can see cars in the parking lot beyond the bleachers. Once I saw them, I was obsessed with smacking a homer in the parking lot - must be a guy thing. After hitting a homer, the umpire calls you "safe" at home plate (?) and your teammates line up to give you high-fives. Mediocre background music plays throughout the game, but thankfully you can shut this off via the options menu. You can play a season, but you'll have to jot down some long passwords. The players, teams, and stadiums are all fake, but if you like fast, arcade-style baseball, this isn't a bad choice. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

Tony LaRussa Baseball was an abomination in 1993, and it still is today. Sure the menus have options and stats out the whazoo, but the gameplay is hideously slow and unbelievably choppy! I remember buying this at the local mall when it first came out and being giddy with excitement. After seeing that impressively thick green box, I thought for sure this would unseat Sportstalk Baseball as the best Genesis baseball game ever. But upon playing my first game, my enthusiasm soon turned to disgust! I recoiled in horror at the sight of the very first pitch. The pitcher's windup looks okay, but the ball "blinks" about four times on the way to the catcher. At that point, only one thing was going through my mind: get back to the mall immediately and get your [expletive] money back! The fielding and running are inexcusably choppy, and during many plays it's hard to tell what the heck's going on. Tony LaRussa Baseball is a comedy of errors. The control is poor, the announcer sounds like he's choking on a hot dog, and the crowd seems oblivious to what's going on. There are numerous annoying pauses that occur for no reason in particular and slow the action to a crawl. Runners don't automatically run on base hits, and outfielders routinely throw out runners going to first base. The fields look good, but the stadiums all look the same. This is the only game I've ever seen where the pitcher spits on the mound, and it looks positively disgusting. EA had made some great football, basketball and hockey games in the early 90's. What happened with baseball? © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

This is one of the better boxing games for the Genesis. It's like a semi-realistic version of Nintendo's Punch-Out, and it has a great sense of humor. Your boxer is a green outline in front of your opponent, letting you get a good view of the action. A well-designed control scheme makes it easy to throw a wide variety of punches and even special moves like a "Popeye punch" or head-butt. Unfortunately, as in many boxing games, the boxers can never punch as fast as you press the buttons, and the lag makes the control feel unresponsive. The boxers are well drawn and look only slightly cartoonish. The backgrounds, taken from different parts of the world (like the Coliseum in Rome) are extremely amusing. Not only do funny things happen in the background during the fights (like a bungee jumper on the Coliseum wall), but sometimes incidents occur after the fight (in Rome, lions attack the loser). A nice-looking babe introduces each new round. Toughman may be more fun to watch than to play. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

The first thing you notice about this game are two scantily-clad women with guns on the box. On the back, you see screenshots of what looks like a typical shooter with two girls flying with jetpacks. So naturally you would assume this is a two-player shooter, right? Nope. Oddly enough, this game is one player only, but Trouble Shooter is still a blast to play. You control both Madison AND Crystal: they move together and shoot back-to-back. At any time, you can also redirect the girl on the left to shoot forwards, doubling your firepower, but that leaves you vulnerable in the back. It's a unique system that's surprisingly effective. You have a load of firepower and special weapons (smart bombs) to choose from before each mission. The background story is ridiculous and the music is wacky, but this game has personality. The enemies and bosses are cartoonish but imaginative and well drawn, and the layered backgrounds are an eyeful. With only five stages, this game is short but definitely worthwhile. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

Did Tradewest really think THIS could compete with Madden? Troy Aikman Football tries to emulate the winning Madden formula, but falls flat in almost every regard. The players look somewhat realistic, but their movements are so choppy that it's hard to tell what the heck is going on! In addition to the poor frame rate, there's quite a bit of breakup in the graphics. It's not unusual to see a player running around with no legs! You don't have much control over pass receptions, and there are an inordinate number of tipped passes. If you need a few extra yards, your best bet is to dive - these guys can leap 10-15 yards!! All the NFL teams are included, but only one actual player (guess who?). The audio is particularly dreadful. The crowd sounds like a weak faucet, and the unenthusiastic commentator sounds like he'd rather be somewhere else (like a Madden game maybe?). With so many other good football games for the Genesis, this really can't compete. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

Just how good can a generic old vertical shooter be? Pretty good!! Truxton didn't impress me at first, but after a few plays I was hooked!! Truxton may not have flashy graphics or imaginative enemies, but it has the gameplay down pat. The rapid-fire action is nonstop, and the difficulty ramps nicely. The game is definitely challenging, but there are no cheap hits to be found. There are three weapons with three levels of power each, and trying to power-up your weapons becomes an obsession in of itself! The graphic objects are large and colorful, but not particularly imaginative or detailed. You bomb weapon simply flashes a skull on the screen. Good background music compensates for some mediocre sound effects, and limited continues let you pick up close to where you left off. I think the bottom line is that Truxton is extremely fun and addictive - one of the best shooters I've played on the Genesis. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

This has got to be one of the most difficult platform games I've ever played. The first stage is so insanely hard that I became obsessed with beating it. You control a lightly armored spaceman who must blast his way through five hostile environments, contending with bugs, birds, robots, and goons in jet packs. Turrican has a lot of irritating hazards, like retracting spikes, raining meteors, treacherous leaps of faith, and tiny satellite dishes that spray missiles when you approach. Your default firepower is weak, and even minor enemies can absorb multiple shots. The number of platforms you need to jump between is excessive, and one false move will send you plummeting to your death. It all sounds very hopeless - and it is. Turrican is armed with special weapons, but their effectiveness is offset by an awkward control scheme. The C button is used to toggle your special weapons, and this is not practical in the heat of battle. Pressing down and B transforms you into a spiked ball, which is usually good for killing one or two enemies before rolling off a cliff to your death. Your most effective weapon is the high-powered "lightning whip", but since you need to hold down a button to unleash it, it's easy to forget about. For more hints, check out Turrican's demo mode, which reveals a number of hidden secrets. Unfortunately, even when you know the secrets and take a careful approach, you'll get your ass handed to you again and again. When the game prompts you to continue, it sends your sorry ass back to the beginning of the stage. I had to resort to a cheat code to check out the advanced stages, which I determined to be equally difficult and more repetitive. I will give this game credit for its adrenaline-pumping soundtrack, which had me humming along all the while. It's the highlight of the game! All in all, Turrican is unreasonably difficult, but I found it hard to pull myself away from it, so I guess it's not all bad. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

I normally rave about vertical shooters on the Genesis, but this one rubbed me the wrong way. In Twin Cobra you pilot a helicopter equipped with rapid-fire missiles and a limited supply of bombs. As you soar over urban areas, you'll witness tanks crawling across highway overpasses and harbors brimming with war ships. Twin Cobra's graphics are typical of early Genesis titles, with static, uninteresting landscapes. Enemy vehicles are equally uninspired, but at least they're large and easy to track. Your helicopter moves at a reasonable clip, but makes for a sizeable target. The VGC loves explosions, but Twin Cobra's are sub par. Larger enemies appear to "glisten" as they take damage, which looks totally stupid. Four weapons are available, and each can be powered-up. Unfortunately, power-up icons tend to linger at the top of the screen, making them hazardous to obtain. At the other extreme, the pain-in-the-butt "weapon change" icons are hard to avoid! Don't forget to unleash your bombs when the screen becomes crowded - they're very effective. After your copter is shot down, it takes a few seconds for the game to resume, and this unnecessary pause annoyed me to no end. Twin Cobra's difficulty is extreme, so you'll probably need to set the skill level to "easy A" if you aspire to conquer the first stage. The game's music is spirited enough but gets repetitive. I have a lot of bones to pick with Twin Cobra, but that didn't prevent me from replaying it over and over again. The game succeeds in spite of itself. It seems like the more pissed off I became, the more I wanted to play. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

The year is 2020, and your job is to rid the Big Apple of crooks, hoods, and dangerous mutants who have taken over. I could have sworn that I played this on the NES, but apparently I was confusing it with "Bad Dudes", another Data East game. The characters are big, and can pick up gigantic objects like cars and toss them with extreme prejudice. The background cityscapes are fun to look at, and the music isn't bad either. Unlike Streets of Rage, Two Crude Dudes plays exclusively on a 2D plane, but in addition to the ground level there's usually a second, higher platform you can also play on. Unfortunately, getting up and down from that platform can be a pain at times. Your dude can jump, crouch, punch, kick, climb, and even tuck and roll. But by far the best aspect of the game is your ability to pick up objects like rocks and cars and toss them into groups of oncoming thugs. I love the "Krak!" and "Wham!" symbols that accompany a good hit (like the old Batman TV series). A diverse assortment of enemies includes wresters, robots, animals, and freaks. The hunchbacks and dogs are especially dangerous - they latch on and won't let go! Be sure to use your jump-kicks to dispatch them before they can sink their choppers into you. The henchmen who scale the walls look like they're taking a crap on you, but if you closely scrutinize the graphics, you'll be relieved to see they're just vomiting. The disturbingly weird mutant bosses reveal some inspired character designs, like the tall guy with praying-mantis arms. Your dude can recharge his life by beating up soda machines and drinking a few cans - very cool. I also like how the dudes flex and smile after each stage - it always cracks me up. Two Crude Dudes is a decent game for one person, but the two-player mode is a mess. First of all, you're always getting in your partner's way. In addition, slowdown and flicker become a problem when things get hectic. But for a one-player game, Two Crude Dudes is a fair way to spend an afternoon. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

Much like the low-budget Jean Claude Van Damme/Dolph Lundgren flick of the same name, Universal Soldier doesn't look like much but serves its purpose. You play a soldier named Luc in this side-scrolling platform shooter, where you avoid traps, leap between platforms, explore underground caves, and blast everything to bits. The game has little in common with the movie, but a lot in common with the game Turrican (Accolade, 1991). The similarities are downright astonishing until you realize they were both published by Accolade. Yes, this was a pretty transparent attempt to make some quick cash on a movie license. The initial stage is set in a forest with grainy scenery and an ugly color scheme. Your soldier brandishes some serious firepower, but can only shoot forward. To compensate, you're armed with a "laser whip" which you can position 360 degrees around you. You also have one "super weapon" per life that literally wipes the screen of enemies. There are tons of power-ups icons lying around - so many that you actually begin to get tired of picking them up! Enemy soldiers don't die easily, and when they do, it looks like they're flying off the screen. Universal Soldier also features a lot of swarming creepy-crawlies - both biological and mechanical. Like Turrican, you can transform into a spiked ball and effectively plow through a line of foes. While the graphics are generally uninspired, a few details caught my eye, like the way water splashes on your head and little stars appear when you're dizzy. The soundtrack also has its moments. Stage one is very intense, but the upbeat music of stage two would be better suited to a Sonic game. Universal Soldier offers continues and provides passwords between stages. Fans of the movie may be disappointed, but shooter fans will have their hands full with this one. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

With a name like Unnecessary Roughness, I was eagerly anticipating one of those crazy, over-the-top sports spectacles, along the lines of NBA Jam. Instead, the game unwisely attempts to be a realistic football game! It contains all of the real NFL teams and players, but if Accolade expected to compete with Madden, they were badly mistaken. Unnecessary Roughness doesn't offer anything that Madden doesn't do better. Yes, there are two viewing angles - distant during passes and close during runs, but that's been done before in Joe Montana Football II (Genesis, 1991). The graphics are weak. In the far view, the players have ugly black outlines surrounding them. They look much better close-up, but their animation is rough. At any given time a player is either standing perfectly straight or laying flat on his back. When receivers (and defenders) reach the quarterback's "target", they just stand around like buffoons waiting for the ball to arrive. What's worse is how a defender can be literally be on top of the receiver, only to have the receiver still make the catch! I saw one receiver make a catch who was nowhere near the ball. The passes "float" something terrible and there's no shadow to judge the height of the ball (although the ball does get "big" while in midair). The running game isn't much better. There's little time to make decisions when running up the middle, but sometimes you can break loose on the outside. Even the kicking game is flawed thanks to the ridiculously tiny goal posts. Play calling is definitely simpler than Madden - you only need to choose one play/formation, which thankfully speeds up the game. I love football games in general, but Unnecessary Roughness is far more unnecessary than rough. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

The first two Strike titles allowed you to blow up targets all over the world. These campaigns take place in the dense cityscapes of New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. You get to control two types of helicopters, as well as a ground vehicle, and in some stages you can run around and attack on foot! This is probably the ultimate Strike game, and if you're not sick and tired of this series by now, this should do the trick. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

Side-scrolling hack-n-slash fans will feel like they've died and gone to old-school heaven when they play Valis III. This game has it all - sweet parallax scrolling, anime cut-scenes, a cool electronic soundtrack, and an absolutely incomprehensible storyline. The intermissions try to tie up loose ends from previous Valis games, tossing out all sorts of odd names like "Valna", "Kolilanba", and my personal favorite, "Glames". The text dialogue scrolls awfully slowly, so only die-hard Valis fans will savor the dramatic storyline - most players will skip it. The initial stage appears to be set in modern-day Japan. Isn't it amazing how those city skylines always look so cool in these old 16-bit games? Most of the other stages feature fantasy settings including a magical forest and a lake with a tower in the center. Valis III's familiar mechanics will have you jumping between platforms and hacking at monsters, but this game is easier to play than most. Jumping can be problematic until you master the "long jump" (press up diagonally), but once you have that down it's no problem at all. Your sword unleashes a wave of energy, so you can even reach foes from a distance. In addition to your standard attack, you can unleash magic and execute a handy roll move. Pressing the A button lets you cycle between several characters at any time, and they're all chicks. Nicely-illustrated enemies include floating jaws, transparent swamp creatures, floating coins, and levitating eyeballs. Many of the creatures defy description, but most are very imaginative and fun to watch. The bosses are relatively unspectacular, but refreshingly easy to defeat. As good as Valis III is, the unlimited continues and lack of a score takes its toll on the replay value. Anybody can beat the game if they sit in front of it long enough, and once it's complete, there's little incentive to return to it. Still, for the first time through anyway, Valis III is pure side-scrolling bliss. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

This well-designed vertical shooter has a lot going for it. Vapor Trail offers three selectable fighter planes, each with its own unique combination of weaponry, power, and agility. You're allotted three ships, each with three units of "life", so you can withstand multiple hits before going down in flames. The A button shoots, B provides rapid-fire, and C triggers an evasive "roll" maneuver. Weapons and power-ups appear on a regular basis, including guided missiles and a devastating flame attack. Not all of the weapons are desirable however. The one that looks like swirling bubbles may be the most idiotic thing I've seen in a Genesis shooter. Vapor Trail's backdrops look terrific, featuring multi-layered mountains, tunnels, and overpasses. In one scene you fly up the side of a building as an awesome city skyline emerges in the background. The shooting action is intense, with most enemies being of the tank, helicopter, and jet fighter variety. In terms of audio, Vapor Trail boasts some seriously kick-ass music that conveys a true sense of urgency. The voice synthesis, on the other hand, is so awful you could mistake it for Donald Duck complaining about a bee in his picnic basket. It's so heinous that you actually want to hear it, just so you can make fun of it. Vapor Trail also includes a two-player simultaneous mode, albeit with some minor slowdown. My main beef with this game is how your score immediately disappears upon losing your last life! Yes, even during the "continue" countdown! Unless you're paying very close attention, you never know what the high score is, which hurts the game's replay value. It's too bad, because otherwise Vapor Trail ranks quite high in the crowded pool of Genesis shooters. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

Vectorman just may have been the last great game to come out for the Genesis. It probably has better graphics and gameplay than anything else that had ever come out on the Genesis, 32X, or Sega CD! Just watching the introduction makes it difficult to believe this is a Genesis game. It features 3-D scaling and morphing never seen before in a Genesis game. I don't know how Blue Sky did it, but they did a commendable job. The gameplay involves moving a funny green man made out of spheres through futuristic settings, blasting robots, and finding powerups. Certain icons allow Vectorman to morph into a drill, bomb, jet, or fish (just to name a few). Yes, we've seen this type of game before, but never done this well! The first stage is fairly typical side scrolling shooting action, but other stages feature incredible 3D action and wild vantage points. In one notable stage, you are on an elevated railroad track (with an overhead view), and a gigantic robot is trying to crush you from underneath. You have to witness this game to truly appreciate it. In addition to the graphics, the techno music is top notch, and the control is perfect. Finally, Vectorman is challenging and there are no continues. This is a true Genesis classic. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.