Maken X

Released in North America for the Sega Dreamcast on April 26, 2000 by Sega, and developed by Atlus, Maken X features first-person hack-and-slash gameplay.

The Sega Dreamcast is not exactly a system known for its first-person shooters. The console only features a handful of games in the genre, and few of those could best be described as "good," let alone "great." How even more bizarre then, that it is home to a first-person...stabber?

 

Starring Stabby McStabberston?

Maken X, directed by Persona-series director, Katsura Hashino, is certainly an oddball. The 2000 release contains the perspective and most of the mechanics of a first-person shooter, but your character generally carries some variation of a sword, and can rarely launch any sort of projectile. Instead, the game focuses on close-up, hack-and-slash combat. Befitting this unique concept, is a bizarre, nearly nonsensical story about a spirit/AI-infused sword that must brainjack various sword-fighters in a battle against some type of cosmic force foolishness. This plot is absolutely ridiculous, and pushed forward by lengthy, unskippable cutscenes, which are just about the strangest things to ever feature into an American-released video game. The cutscenes are so incredibly ludicrous and difficult to follow, they'd almost succeed on entertainment factor alone, if they weren't so tedious.

 

Yes.

No.

Maybe.

Thankfully, the gameplay aspect of Maken X, though simple, is pretty fun. The game's combat system allows the player to lock on to an enemy, and features weapon-swinging and blocking, quick backward-dodges, and a gnarly leap-over-your-enemy-and-stab-them-in-the-back-critical-move that's a cinch to pull off, and nearly always satisfying. The controls are pretty tight and intuitive, and the game runs very smoothly, as you blaze a fast path through your enemies. You can even use the R-trigger to strafe in conjunction with the Dreamcast controller's joystick, which is actually an ingenious and successful remedy for the controller's lack of dual joysticks.

 

I feel like this person's idea of "dual sticks" is different than mine.

You can also unleash a special attack by holding down your weapon-swinging button for a few seconds, then releasing, which drains a little bit of your health. Pick-ups include health packs, and a special power-up that temporarily increases your attack power. That's about it. The basic game mechanics are pretty minimal, but quite successfully utilized, and lead to some pretty epic sword fights as the game progresses. Of course, the twist here is the game's brainjacking mechanic, which allows the player to--permanently, if they choose--take over the body of new characters.

 

You will want to brainjack out of some of these characters just because of their obnoxiously obtrusive HUDS.

Several of the game's roughly 20 stages give the player a new brainjacking target, as long as the player's psi-level is high enough. This brings a light RPG element to play, as the player earns psi-orbs for every enemy they defeat. Grab enough, and you fill your psi-meter, and thus level up. Better fighters require a higher level in order to be brainjacked, especially some of the late game badasses. I say "late game," but really, Maken X is a short one. Your average player will make it through to the end in under ten hours, though the game does at least include multiple endings, which depend upon which brainjacked character you beat the final boss with.

 

Just like Q said it would be! Coincidentally, also the other of Maken X's storyline.

As far production values go, Maken X is solid, with workmanlike graphics. The environments generally consist of hallway areas, though there are a few outdoor sections that are generally just outdoor corridors. The wall and floor textures look fine. Character design fits the crazy storyline. The bad guys in this game look like mutated insanity, with a flying gangster butterfly man standing out in particular. The most important thing is that, at all times, the game runs silky smooth. I can't stress enough how fast Maken X feels for a first-person game from this generation.

Smooth like a butterfly gangster man.

I told you this game was crazy!

The music is your general Dreamcast clubby-dance sound, not much different from the background music in Sega Marine Fishing. It does its job, and that's about it. Sword slashes sound great, though it's weird that you're doing all that slicing and dicing and not drawing any blood. Overall, Maken X is about the most balanced combo of "plays just fine" with "but this game is bugnuts crazy" as possible. It's uniquely weird, but doesn't really play out of the ordinary, despite its unique concept and nutso story and character design. For those curious, Maken X is most definitely fun enough to warrant a playthrough. There's little frustration here, even if there's also little wow factor.

 

Yeah, you're right, that last statement was overly harsh. I really do like this game.

8.0

Graphics

Not bad in any way, but not stunning, though the game runs very, very smoothly.

7.0

Music and Sound

Generic dance soundtrack works fine for what it is.

7.5

Gameplay

A very minimalistic gameplay approach pays off in the form of an intuitive and easy to master combat system. Again, nothing amazing, but it works.

6.0

Lasting Value

Under ten-hour adventure whose playtime is buoyed by multiple (crazy) endings.

7.5  FINAL SCORE

Jet Grind Radio

Released in North America on October 31, 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast by Sega, and developed by Smilebit, Jet Grind Radio features unique roller-blading, graffiti-tagging, cel-shaded gameplay.

I'll never forget the hype. Jet Grind Radio, aka Jet Set Radio everwhere but in North America, had video game publications going nuts in their previews, and even crazier when they finally reviewed the game for its 2000 release. The main focal point of their praise went toward both Radio's unique and wonderful cel-shaded graphics, as well as the game's quirky style and setting. Praise for the rollerblading, spray-painting gameplay always came second. After its release, some attention was also paid to how Jet sold under expectations. Perhaps, the prevailing idea went, the game's off-the-wall concept and unique look confused consumers. Whatever the case, I couldn't muster enough enthusiasm to add the game to my Dreamcast collection at the time. I bought it used, a few years later, for less than $10, and never really settled into a long-term playthrough of the game. Every few years, I'd put another 3-4 hours into it, never getting excited enough to really...grind through it. Eventually, I decided that, at best, I wanted to power through this game, and at worst, wanted to figure out why I was having so much trouble mustering enthusiasm to play through it. What I've found is, sometimes a game just isn't for me.

And according to this disclaimer from the beginning of the game, graffiti shouldn't be for you, unless legally mandated!

Jet Grind Radio's plot involves rival rollerblading, graffiti-tagging gangs in the slightly futuristic city of Tokyo-to. The player is a part of the GG gang, and can use any of that gang's handful of members to complete missions. Missions generally involve skating around a large, 3D city area, and spray-painting the GG's logo over the logo of rival gangs. I should stress that only certain portions of the city are accessible in each mission--this is not an open-world game. Gameplay is set from a third-person perspective, with the player speeding their skater around town, having the ability to jump, grind on rails (at least the North American title is apt), do tricks, and spray-paint, though the latter only when the game prompts and allows it.

It's okay, the game said I could

It's tough not to compare Jet Grind Radio's controls negatively to the Dreamcast's spectacular Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, which sandwiched Jet Grind Radio's release date. Those two games are among the greatest ever made, for the Sega Dreamcast, or any system, and feature tight controls, with the ability to manually perform a multitude of tricks for points. Jet Grind Radio's tricks are performed automatically when the player grinds or jumps, and feel inconsequential. Likewise, the controls themselves are a bit unwieldy--you never seem able to consistently do exactly what you want to do. However...there's a grace period in this game where everything works pretty well.

Hurry up, before the game gets bad!

That grace period comes just past the first hour of figuring out the game's mechanics, up until several hours later, when the actions the game wants you to perform overtax the game's stiff, yet inaccurate controls. During this period, the game doesn't ask a lot of you, and you can marvel at the beautiful, cel-shaded graphics (essentially meant to mimic a 3D, hand-animated cartoon), the fluid framerate, the bright and beautiful city environments, whose vibe I'll describe as sunshine grime, and the game's bouncy, eclectic soundtrack and atmosphere. This portion of the game is very stereotypically Dreamcast, and I mean that in the best way possible. The Dreamcast's main image and vibe is a sort of Crazy Taxi, Tony Hawk, Skies of Arcadia, Sonic Adventure cheery, blue-skied, sunny optimism that could only have existed between Y2K and 9/11. Jet Grind Radio fully embodies this.

*Sigh* Hard not to think about the century that might have been.

Most of the missions during this portion of the game just involve speeding around without the need for much precision, even as enemies, particularly the trigger-happy police, start stalking you around the stages. During these parts of the game, I really started to feel like Jet Grind Radio was for me. But then, the game starts asking more of you, without quite giving you the tools to make fulfilling its more difficult tasks enjoyable.

Oh well, maybe the Graffiti Maker will make up for it...SPOILERT ALERT: IT'S REALLY CLUNKY, AND IT DOESN'T

The control issues start to become clear when both the police pursuit becomes heavier and the graffiti becomes more complex. Spray-painting involves getting your character right on top of the perfect spot, until a indicator comes on screen, declaring that you can begin painting. You must then hold down the "L-trigger" while also following directional commands. You'll have to perform timed combo actions, left, down, left-right, etc. in order to complete the graffiti work. Holding the "L-trigger" down while perform these delicate, rapid actions with the corner of your thumb is torture for your left hand. Trying to do this quickly, before the police shoot you, feels downright sadistic on the part of the developers.

"Poison Jam," like jam that you put on your bread that will kill you, or "Poison Jam" like a really heavy song that will make your ears explode, or "Poison Jam" like a situation you get yourself into where you get wedged into an acidic crevice, or "Poison Jam" like your printer got stuck on a sulfurous sheet of paper, or "Poison Jam" like....?

Unfortunately, the control issues are more extensive than just graffiti-caused hand pain. Later missions have you attempting to spray-paint the backs of skating members of rival gangs. These folks are faster and more adept than you. Watching them speed away, while you jump toward a railing, only to have your character inexplicably veer to the right and bang off of it instead of grind on it is infuriating. The controls just aren't tight enough to allow you to satisfactorily chase these NPC's. Add in the fact that you've got a health-meter that's depleted not only by cars and falls, but by banging into rival skaters, and you've got an exercise in frustration. At this point, the game loses the vast majority of its fun factor. The graphics no longer wow, and the cheery, dance-boppy soundtrack starts to become infuriating. It's almost like the game is mocking you.

Cool, I guess I'll catch up to you guys later...in another video game with better controls...

I have no doubt that the majority of reviewers in 2000 wrote their pieces before getting to this frustration point, which is a little over halfway into the game. These critics likely enjoyed the fun early portions, were wowed by the GG's gnarly interactive clubhouse (which includes a soundcheck and a graffiti designer), and were stunned by the excellent designs of GG's stable of playable characters, all of whom have slightly different power and technique stats. Those things are great, but once you get to the point in the game that it is no longer fun, you'll wish that instead of a soundcheck, the game gave you the ability to replay the past missions that were actually fun. Unfortunately, the only way to replay a mission you've already completed is to restart your save file or beat the game and play through again. This design choice is maddeningly illogical.

As is the choice to set this dumb mission above a vat of poisonous sewage. Oh, okay, Poison Jam, like "our jam is to hang out over poisonous sewage." Okay, I get it. Cool.

My attempt to really deep dive into Jet Grind Radio has proven to me that this is really a game that only rewards cursory excursions. If you just play the game to check it out, only putting in four or five hours, you'll find the great production values and ease-of-play of these early missions extremely rewarding...and you'll likely rate Jet Grind Radio very highly. However, if you do what I did, what I wanted to do, and try to burrow into Jet Grind Radio's center, you'll find a teeth-cracking jawbreaker beneath its bright candy shell. Sure, there are folks out there who will enjoy patiently perfecting their skills with the game's finicky, unforgiving controls. However, I am not among this group--keep the nuts out of my candy bar...especially when you've presented it as nothing but pure chocolate.

9.8

Graphics

Cel-shaded characters and bright, large and colorful city environments look excellent, while the game runs very fast and smoothly.

8.5

Music and Sound

Upbeat, multiple genre soundtrack, along with a fun general soundscape.

7.0

Gameplay

The fast-paced city exploration of earlier stages gives way to frustration, as the game's weak controls make more technical missions far more difficult than they should be.

6.2

Lasting Value

Fairly long main game quest, whose replay value is challenged simply because past missions are not repayable. 

7.5  FINAL SCORE

Greatest Heavyweights

Greatest Heavyweights, Sega Genesis, Acme Interactive, Inc., 1993

I visited my cousin in Houston a few weekends ago, and the conversation turned toward his busted Sega Genesis. 

"Mine still works," I said. " Do you still have Greatest Heavyweights?"

"Yeah. You want to take it?"

The existence of this review is one big spoiler to the previous question's answer

I did take Greatest Heavyweights, a game I put dozens of hours into in the mid-90's, whiling away late nights at my cousin's parent's house. Would this old boxing gem hold up, or be just as busted as my cousin's old Genesis?

Greatest Heavyweights features eight of the greatest heavyweight boxers from the 20th Century: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano Larry Holmes, Jack Dempsey, Floyd Patterson, Joe Louis, and Evander Holyfield. You can either pick one of these guys, and duke it out with one of the other seven in an exhibition match, fight one of the game's fake characters (or use one of them instead of the real guys), engage in a multi-fight tournament, or go in for the best option the game offers: career mode with a boxer of your own creation.

The best option in this game is even better than recreating the greatest boxing match of all time.

"Create a Boxer" allows you to choose from numerous sizes of fighter, then allows you to select their skin color, hair color and style, facial structure, etc. There aren't a ton of options, but you can make your character green, which I always do. Now let me tell you the story of the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, Ace McFeely.

Sorry, MacGyver.

After entering career mode and creating McFeely, the game gives me the rank of 30th in the world, and faces me off against the 29th ranked boxer. The 29th ranked guy is hapless and I quickly knock him out. After winning a fight, the game allows me to pick three training activities out of an offered eight. Let me switch from "I" to "you." Anyway, you don't actually partake of any of these training activities as a gamer, but selecting them does increase your stats, "Power," "Speed," and "Stamina." You can choose the training activities based upon which stats you want to power up more. Of course I always want to immediately power up "Power."

Give the man a steak!

"Career Mode" consists of smashing through the top 30 fighters until you fight fictional champ, "Mike Dixon," and take his championship belt. To become powerful enough to take down Dixon, you've got to do a great job of leveling up between each fight. If you're having too easy of a time, and want to get to the top sooner, you can choose to fight a higher ranked boxer than the guy in front of you, though the game doesn't allow you to just jump straight to Dixon...you'd get destroyed if it did.

Destroyed just like poor Donny Ghost

Once I trashed all the boxers up to Dixon, I trashed him too, and received an invitation to then fight the eight "Greatest Heavyweights," thankfully one at a time. Wait, I'm sorry, let me switch back to "you."
Beat all eight greatest heavyweights, and you're the undisputed champ.

Nope, no bias here!

As cool as all this is, it wouldn't mean much if Greatest Heavyweight's boxing engine sucked. It doesn't, though. It's great. Your computer-controlled foes all fight in a given style--some aggressively, some defensively, some not protecting their head well. Once you figure out your foe's style, you can better box against them. You'll find that much of your opposition can't handle a body jab/head jab combo. Of course, you'll have to get the timing right, or you'll get pummeled.

Like poor Mr. Ali here

By the time you get to the top, your higher ranked foes, particularly the Greatest Heavyweights, will be rattling off some pretty spectacular combos of their own...and low jab/high jab isn't quite as magic an elixir anymore. However, if you've been paying attention in the earlier fights, the later, more difficult ones should be a piece of cake. Just press buttons, though, and you'll end up on the mat. You've got to strategize. That's easy for me to say, though. I've been playing this game for a long time.

Just ask Ali. Also, the victory beat, and all of the music in this game is great. Minimal, but great.

Your punch choices are the old favorites, jab, hook, and uppercut, which you can unleash with either hand. I highly recommend a six-button controller--otherwise, you've got to hit a couple buttons together to throw an uppercut, instead of just pushing one. There's also a button to block, though where's the fun in that?

1,839 punches thrown. Sounds about right.

I love this game. Once you get very good at it, there might be no further challenge, but that will take enough time to make the game feel like a worthwhile experience. Seeing all of these great fighters in one game is a treat. Hearing them is too, as true to a Sega Sports game, there's a lot of cool voice work, generally in the form of taunts. Getting taunted by Ali is always a thrill. Taunting him is even better.

Just a personal note: while Joe Frazier (R.I.P.) is my favorite boxer of all-time, personally, and it's the only reason I am ribbing him so much, I think Muhammad Ali (R.I.P.) is the greatest heavyweight boxer to ever live. He said it himself, and he wasn't lying.

The graphics are 16-bit solid, with all of the boxer animations convincing and fun. Few things are more exhilarating than landing a combo that knocks the spit out of your foe. Boy what a great sound effect, too. The hits in this game still feel visceral more than 25 years later.

Trust me, you do no NOT want to get hit by Ace "The Greatest" McFeely

Speaking of age, I should warn, not all of the boxer taunts found here are PC for 2020. Then again, how PC is a sport where you're trying to knock your competition unconscious? Greatest Heavyweights' overflowing 90's machismo is one of its greatest assets. This kind of swagger died when Sega stopped making sports games.

Graphics: 8.5/10.0
Sound: 9.0/10.0
Gameplay: 8.5/10.0
Lasting Value: 8.0/10.0
Overall (Not an Average): 8.5/10.0

Road Avenger

Road Avenger, Sega CD, Data East Corporation, 1993

One day I was digging through some of my unplayed Sega CD games and noticed Road Avenger. I realized I'd never heard of the game, but I loved its title, so into the Sega CD it went.
Mind blown.

How could I not like a game made by "WOLF TEAM?"

Road Avenger is a port of a 1985 Japanese arcade game, Road Blaster. The gist of the game is that you're out to avenge the death of your wife at the hands of an evil biker gang. You've souped up your car to an alarming level, and now you're hitting the mean, animated streets to make the wicked gang pay.

Hey, didn't you read the last paragraph? I JUST souped up this thing! You're gonna get it.

The gameplay is simple--levels are awesomely pre-animated by Toei, the same studio that has animated countless great anime, as well as the 1986 Transformers film. You're basically put inside an incredible action film, featuring the height of 80's animation, to run amok. These pre-animated, full motion video sequences require you to tap either left, right, brake, or turbo when commanded.

I told you you were gonna get it. Also, duh, of course I'm gonna brake.

While this may sound simple, as you drive through Road Avenger's thrilling nine stages, your time window for following commands becomes shorter and shorter. The last few levels require razor sharp  reflexes and memory, particularly the insanely chaotic final stage.

The mortician is gonna wish you wore deodorant! Does deodorant work on a corpse? Do corpses sweat? Road Avenger, you've opened up Pandora's Box!

The nine levels, composed of 15,000 hand-painted cels, and over 30-minutes of animation, feature just about any car chase environment you could want, from a cliff-hugging highway, to an elevated freeway, to a deep-forest logging road, and more. You also get to do just about every awesome car stunt possible, from the ramming off the road basics, to shaking off unwanted rooftop passengers, to jumping over an exploding helicopter. Some of the scenarios the developers have dreamed up are so delightfully over-the-top and outlandish, you'll want to experience them again and again.

Tuesday.

Yes, Road Avenger is essentially one big quicktime event game. However, your actions are so naturally incorporated into in-game events that Road Avenger seldom just feels like it's on rails.  In fact, on the hardest difficulty, you're not even given the commands, and have to figure out which buttons to press given the situation. Of course, inputting the wrong command results in instantly crashing, but isn't that the way it is with actual, high-speed driving?

You know, you drive through a field and get firebombed by attack helicopters, just like real life!

As far as production values go, the animation is incredible. Though there is some grain, its impact to gameplay or to even enjoying the graphics in general is negligible. Sound effects are all pretty awesome, though the squealing brake can be a bit grating. The music is pretty far back in the mix, but it still brings energy to the experience. Also, the opening cinema, which sets up the game's story, features a sweet power-metal ballad.

These kids love it. Get off the damn sidewalk, kids!

Like most games from this period, the player is only given several tries and continues. After that, it's game over, and you've got to start from the beginning. At only nine levels, a straight play-through only takes about half-an-hour, and once you're done, you're done--and it's an identical experience again and again after that...even if it's an awesome one. Also, given how difficult that final level is, having to play all the way through the game to get to it again and again after constant game overs can get a bit old. It doesn't help that, unlike Road Avenger's previous levels, the last doesn't have any checkpoints.

How am I supposed to continue if I can't see, ass?!

Still, though, even with its flaws and short running time, Road Avenger is a singular experience. There's really nothing quite like it on the market today, and there wasn't much like it in the 80's or 90's, either. If you want to pull out a Sega CD game to quickly wow a guest, you can't do much better than Road Avenger.

Vroom, vroom.

Graphics: 8.5/10.0
Sound: 7.0/10.0
Gameplay: 8.0/10.0
Lasting Value: 6.0/10.0
Overall (Not an Average): 8.0/10.0

Demolition Man

Demolition Man, Sega CD, Acclaim Entertainment, 1995

I don't know why, of all the Sega CD games, I decided to play through 1995's Demolition Man. There are dozens upon dozens of more prominent games for the system. I've got all of them. They're all right over there in the corner. I'm not playing them right now, though. I'm playing Demolition Man, a licensed game for a 1993 action film I've never even seen (though I soon plan on remedying that)...and I have no regrets.

More like "Most Awesomest!"

Demolition Man is a 2D action sidescroller. As for buttons:"A" throws a grenade. You've only got a limited amount of grenades, but you can pick up more, and they're everywhere. "B" fires your weapon. You start with a pistol, but can pick up other guns, like a powerful shotgun and magnum. After a few shots with those, you run out of ammo, and go back to your handgun, which has unlimited ammo. You can even just hold down "B" to fire continuously. You can aim with the controller pad, and if you stop running, and hold down "B," you can aim while at a stop. "C" is the jump button. You can jump pretty far, but you can't really turn around in mid-air. The "Start" button pauses the game. That's it!

The 90's had so many good songs about jumping. "Jump Around" was good. Wait, that was the 80's. Oh, yeah, what about "Kriss Kross Makes You Wanna Jump?" I think that was the name of it. Wasn't that the 90's? Yeah?

Demolition Man apparently loosely follows the plot of the film of the same name. You're Sergeant John Spartan, a reckless police officer who was cryogenically frozen in 1996. Now it's 2032, and you've been thawed out to fight your old nemesis, the criminally insane Simon Phoenix, who had also been cryogenically frozen but's come back. And that's...pretty much it. You chase Phoenix around the futuristic dystopian mega-city, San Angeles, fighting him periodically between blasting away thousands of his henchman.

You just wait til I get down there!

The game includes a dozen or so side-scrolling stages, and two overhead view, Smash TV-esque stages. These levels are all fairly straightforward. They often include multiple floors, though there is generally only one path through the stage. The fun comes from the simple, brainless action of the gameplay. The controls are fairly tight, you can generally do whatever you're attempting to do (except correct an errant jump), many parts of the stages, like TV screens, streetlights, and windows, can be destroyed, and the action is frenetic and endless.

Shoot them all! Shoot everything!

From a production level, the graphics are highly-detailed, colorful, excellent pixel-art. This Sega CD version also includes gratuitously grainy movie clips, that don't look so excellent.

Through no fault of Stallone's sick hat.

However, the Sega CD also includes a supercharged electronic rock soundtrack that absolutely slams. It's awesome, a great backing to blow away endless enemies. Outside of the movie clips, there's a little bit of film dialogue spliced throughout the game to make it a little more immersive. These sound okay, but not as good as the game's awesomely over-the-top sound effects, featuring big booming guns, shattering glass, etc. Also, for some reason in the sidescrolling stages, there's a split second after bullets hit your enemies where it looks like you've electrocuted them....which...cool!

Eat lead, slacker! Er, sorry, I don't know any Demolition Man quotes.

Most stages do each have a little something to set them apart from a gameplay standpoint. For example, one level's got a mechanical car parker that's constantly looking to smash you, a monorail level features a constantly moving train with objects that have to be dodged, and a trip to an underground wasteland features plenty of cool, zip-lining action.

You just wait til I get down there! Dammit, I already used that one!

Like most sidescrolling actioneers of its era, Demolition Man is difficult, giving you just a handful of lives and continues, which are easily expended. Thankfully, the game also includes a level-select cheat (A, C, Up, Right, Left at the main menu), which allows you to go back to wherever you were when you got a game over. Thankfully, each stage includes frequent checkpoints, so any time you die, you don't have to start the level over at the beginning...at least until you get a game over. Demolition Man also includes three selectable levels of difficulty, though you can't play through every stage if you select the easiest. Of course, once you've played through the game a couple of times using the level select method, you'll probably have the muscle memory to at least get through the medium difficulty without a game over...which will take about an hour.

"Let's hang out!" Was that a line from the movie? No?

Is Demolition Man straightforward and simplistic? Yes. Did I have a meatheadedly good time blasting through it? Yes! It may be an artifact of its era, frozen in time, but it doesn't deserve to be locked up forever! It's shockingly fun!

Sorry...

Graphics: 8.0/10.0
Sound: 8.5/10.0
Gameplay: 7.5/10.0
Lasting Value: 5.0/10.0
Overall (Not an Average): 7.5/10.0