Genesis ~ Altered Beast Review

Twirl Review

Overview

Altered Beast is one of those all-time classic coin-op arcade games and it was a smash hit. I don't know if the Sega Genesis version was a smash hit or not, but what I do know was that it was packaged together with the Sega Genesis when the Genesis was first launched. Which meant that this was one of the first 16-bit cartridge games released. Now I have been greatly privileged to review it.

However, after playing this game, I couldn't see anything special about it. Let us carry on O-O.

Gameplay

From what I can see, the gameplay is very average. You start off as this average looking bloke who has to make it to the end of the level to fight a big boss. I don't know the storyline, but I do know the objective of the game is to save someone's daughter. Along the way, you kick or punch these strange looking creatures and collect powerups to upgrade yourself by killing these funny 2 headed dogs. When you upgrade, you increase your muscle mass, which is the thing that really cracks me up.

The guy goes "POWER UP!", then his shirt comes off! Another upgrade, then he turns into this huge muscle bounded freak. After 3 upgrades, you turn into a kind of beast where you can start to shoot energy bolts. I'd say that is the only cool thing about the game. Tranforming into imaginery beasts.

The whole screen automatically scrolls along for you, somehow forcing you to move along. There are two things that really put me off this game. The first thing is how he dies. It's so pathetic and cheap.

Yelling out "oooorrggghhhh" and falling to the ground like a weakling.

The second thing which results in dying alot is how the character is so unmaneuverable. The movement is too slow for you to dodge those enemies, in particular those jumping 2 headed dogs. Then again this could prove as a good thing as it adds an element of challenge to the game.

Overall, the gameplay is very average. It's more annoying than fun.

6 out of 10

Graphics

From the first screen you enter into when you start playing the game, you could immediately see how not alot of work has gone into the graphics, because the backgrounds look very plain. The animation is very basic. The colours are a little dull which kind of puts me off.

2.5 out of 5

Sound and Music

Like the graphics, the sound is very basic. There isn't that much of a sound variety either. Mostly beeps and boops. The speech effects to me are more of a funny thing and it kind of embarrasses the image of the overall game. Such as the startup speech on the first level "Rise from you grave!"

The music seems very slow and boring, but not repetitive as it changes after every level.

2.25 out of 5

Game Design

I haven't made it through alot of the game, but as far as what I can see, the levels are again very basic. If you feel like it, you can jump up onto the walls that pop up occasionally, but there is little point in doing that. You could just happily spend the first level on the ground. In the second level, you could just float around in the big space.

The game is a bit difficult for the beginner. I struggle just to get past the first level and struggle even more on the next.

2 out of 5

Longevity

With the game being slightly difficult with very basic gameplay, I guess you wouldn't want to play it again after a few goes at it. And to add to that, there are no credits for continuing! I thought this was an arcade coin-op conversion! After you defeat the big boss, you lose all your powerups! Then it's back to being a normal looking bloke ready to rip his shirt off again. Why can't we just be beasts throughout the whole game? Anyways I wouldn't want to save some guy's daughter I don't even know. Firstly, I can't be bothered putting up with fighting all those disgusting creatures. Secondly, who cares about saving some guy's daughter. What a mediocre storyline! Thirdly, I want to stay asleep in my grave!

If you were good at this game however, you could probably finish it in just a matter of a few minutes.

So in the end, is there a bright side to this game at all?

Yes, two player. Only for two people who can find it in their hearts to like this game. Not me!

1 out of 5

For: 2 player option, funny speech sounds, funny powerup effects! (his shirt comes off)

Against: basic gameplay, basic graphics, basic sounds, boring musc, basic level designs, hard to maneuver yourself, difficult for starters.

Now for my conclusion to sum it all up. Yes, this game was an arcade smash hit. Not this Sega Genesis version according to me. The way I see it, I think it could have acted as a bad first impressions game for those who bought a Sega Genesis packaged with Altered Beast. I still can't see anything special about this game even if it was an arcade smash hit. Perhaps because it was quite basic? Or a good game for its time? Well I've seen and played better.

Platform: Sega Genesis

Genre: Action, Platform

Producer: Sega

Year: 1988

Runs on: Genecyst, Kgen, Vgen, Dgen, Megasis, StOrm, Gens

Barnabas

Gameplay: 6/10

Graphics: 1/5

Sound and Music: 3.5/5

Game design: 3/5

Longevity: 1/5

Total: 14.5/30

Rating:

48%

-Reviewed by Barnabas

Twirl

Gameplay: 6 out of 10

Graphics: 2.5 out of 5

Sound and Music: 2.25 out of 5

Game Design: 2 out of 5

Longevity: 1 out of 5

Total: 13.75 out of 30

Overall:

46%

~Reviewed by Twirl

Barnabas Review

Altered Beast is the console version of the arcade game. The same team later produced the hit game Golden Axe after producing this game. As a result, some of the graphics look similar but not as detailed. It seems my fellow reviewer hates the game but I think they fail to see some of the redeeming aspects of the game.

Gameplay: 6/10

The game starts off with you as a fairly weak human being resurrected from the dead. You only have a punching and kicking attacking while for movement you can crouch, jump or high jump by pressing up and jump. The screen continually scrolls to the right as some action games do continually forcing you to move. You can also attack directly above by couching and kicking. In the beginning, your punching and kicking is pretty pathetic and have a really short range but as you collect power-ups from the blue dog-like enemies you get larger and your attacks increase in range thanks to some sort of bluish energy coming out from your fists and legs. When you get three you turn into a beast which is extremely fast, agile and powerful. What beast you involve to depends on what stage you are in. The first, you're a werewolf, the second, a dragon and so on and so forth until the last level where you are a werewolf but orange. In fact turning into a beast makes you a little bit too powerful because you usually gain some sort of long range fireball attack which can pretty much pulverise the enemy in one or two hits. Each of the beasts has different attacks and handles differently which is cool.

The huge problem really then, lies in the difficulty in getting enough power ups to become the beast. Walking around and trying to beat the enemies up really isn't a good tactic at all because your kicking and punching is often slower than the enemies; reaction. What you have to do

Graphics: 1/5

The graphics look unfortunately dated especially compared to Golden Axe's graphics which was only release a year or two later. The between level pictures are fairly detailed however but there aren't that many of them and they are really small.

Sound and Music: 3.5/5

The music is not very good and fairly average but I'm surprised to find that they manage to put in voices into this and make them sound okay.

Game design: 3/5

The game design itself isn't too bad an idea. Each level has you starting off as a weak human and requires you to power up to become the beast. There is no end of the level in actually fact. What happens is this. Once three dog-like monsters with the powerups pass you by, you'll find a purple game with lightning attacking you. If you've managed to kill and get the power-ups to become the beast you'll hear the guy say 'Welcome to your doom!' and he'll summon up the boss monster to kill you. Once you've killed the boss monster he'll absorb all your powers and turn you back into the weak human. You then advance to the next level.

Unfortunately, the execution is rather poor because of the problems with your character's range as mentioned before but also because there are only five levels and four transformations. The first level has you transform into a werewolf, the second into a flying dragon, my favourite, then a bear on third, a tiger on the forth and finally a werewolf again in the last. I think that if the programmers had changed the gameplay so you aren't too weak and increased the number of levels it would have been much much better.

Longevity: 1/5

With such few levels, this game can probably be finished in under two hours. However, you might decide to replay the game to re-experience the different beasts. It's interesting to note that when you finish the game, the game starts at level one again.

For: Cool idea, ability to turn into different beasts.

Against: Hard to control at the beginning when you're weak. Very short.