"A good arcade game? o.O"

Introduction-
When you hear the name ''T-Mek'', you probably think ''Oh, it's just another Mech Warrior-ish game. Not worth the money.'' Well, that too, was what I thought, when I first saw this. Then I noticed that it had seats for four people and three were occupied. I figured, ''What the hell...it's only 50 cents.'' and sat down and put the money in. I was greeted by outdated graphics and a decent tune. Already it was annoying me. At the menu screen I selected ''Player vs. Player'' and chose a Mek that looked cool Almost immediately I picked up on the controls and was having a great time blasting other Meks and getting my ass kicked. Fortunately for me, I had a partner who was apparently good at the game and he saved me on more than one occasion. Near the end of the game I was ready to put 2 more quarters in and have another try or two. When it finally did end, since we won, we got a free game which surprised me. An hour or so later I realized what time it was and got back to work. Still, T-Mek is a great game.

Graphics- 6/10
Ugly and choppy, the graphics in T-Mek are. While the game was made in 1998 (I think), the graphics look like they're from the late 80s on a Jaguar...except worse. You can identify Meks, missiles, and terrain objects with relative ease, but they're anything but pretty. Aside from that, the entire game looks like someone splashed dark colored paint everywhere. Nonetheless, they get the job done and they're not that bad.

Pros
+ Um...it's 3D...

Cons
- Choppy
- Ugly
- Too dark

Sound-
Music: 7/10
SFX: 9/10
The music in T-Mek isn't bad or anything, it just gets repetitive...fast. The game's whole 3 songs fit the game quite well, but due to their semi-short length, you tend to hear them over and over. Not only that, but it gets annoying to find yourself humming a tune from an arcade game. The sound effects themselves are spectacular, but overly-loud. Explosions, crashes, gunshots; they're all amazingly real. Be warned, though, when you get up your ears will be ringing.

Pros
+ Sort of good music
+ Great sound effects

Cons
- Very loud sound effects
- Repetitive music
- Lack of variety

Fun Factor- 10/10
T-Mek is an immensly fun game, surprising as that may be, considering the Mek concept has been done to death. Somehow, though, T-Mek makes its very fun. Perhaps it's the 4-player multiplayer option. Or maybe the fact that every time you and/or your team win a multiplayer match you get to play again. Or it could be the fact that you get to play for at least 5 minutes for 50 cents. Whatever the reason, T-Mek is one of the best arcade games I've ever come across. If multiplayer isn't your thing, there's always the single player mode which brings most of the action of multiplayer matches to you. Although the storyline is somewhat lacking, it's still fun.

Pros
+ Excellent multiplayer
+ Great value
+ Good single player experience
+ Teams or solo multiplayer mode

Cons
- It isn't free :(

Replay Value- 10/10
If you're only half decent at this game you can still get a good 30 minutes in for just 50 cents. The arcade where I work has had T-Mek for over a year now and I still play it with friends regularly. If you've beaten the single player mode just up the difficulty. If you've beaten everyone at the arcade one on one, try a one on two, or even three. With a slew of different Meks to choose from and an excellent multiplayer mode, once you've played it you're hooked.

Pros
+ Lots of Meks to choose from
+ 3 difficulty settings
+ The multiplayer is the greatest thing since battle.net
+ Cheap

Cons
- None?

Misc. Categories-
Machine Design: 9/10
Price: 10/10
Freegame-ability: 11/10
Multiplayer: 10/10
Single Player: 10/10
Availability: 5/10

Overall- 9/10
Overall, T-Mek is probably my favorite arcade game aside from Dig-Dug. With superb multiplayer, a great price and replay value and a decent single player mode it's just short of perfection. It's only failings are it's...erm...shall we say...dated...graphics, and too loud sound. Even so, they don't take too much out of the game. Assuming you can find this game and that you have 50 cents, sit down and have a blast.

Pros
+ Sound effects are realistic
+ The multiplayer is spectacular
+ Pretty good single player mode
+ High replayability
+ Priced well

Cons
- Mediocre graphics
- Sound gets loud
- Music lacks variety

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/03