Shadow of the Beast II

"Caveman with slingshot thingie becomes hero, dies alot"

This is one of the worst games you can buy for your Genesis (or your Amiga). You might not believe me at this point (although you certainly should!), so I'll try to prove my case.

Graphics and Sound (4 out of 10):
The graphics are ok, in a low-budget sorta way. Sound is the same. Actually, there is a beautiful painting-style graphic when you die, and you will see it often.

Story (2 out of 10):
Good luck figuring this out. Your guy is a caveman-type dude who seems hell bent on running around a freaky world full of monsters and other cave dudes and whatever else the designers thought of while apparently dropping acid.

Game play (1 out of 10):
Story doesn't matter if the game is good. It isn't.

In fact, game play is the worst thing about this game. You seem to have some sort of slingshot type weapon (it looks very stupid, like a ball on a string that shoots straight forward and snaps back to you). You run around, hoping to get somewhere and do something, goodness knows what. You may meet some other folks who will engage you in minimal conversation before attacking you--this is the so-called RPG and puzzle part of the game, I guess. The game isn't even easy to get through. You die A LOT.

Some of these deaths are just stupid attrition deaths. Bugs creatures fly above you and pummel you with fire, and there just isn't much your lead-footed Neanderthal can do about it. Other deaths are even more offensive. For example, you may encounter one of the timing sequences in the game, such as the ''grab the rope so you can climb out of the rushing river'' puzzle. I call it a puzzle, because even though it should be easy, you seem to have to time it JUST right, lining things up by the pixel, to get your caveman to grab that rope. At any rate, once up the rope, you are so exhausted and frustrated that you probably won't be ready to face yet another unfair attack from one of the bizarre enemies.

It all adds up to about the worst gaming experience you could possibly have.

Replay Factor (1 out of 10):
Be glad you aren't being forced to replay this one at gunpoint.

Buy or Rent:
Do the world a favor by buying this game and throwing it in the trash. Or just forget about it completely.

Bottom line:
If you thought Altered Beast was unimpressive, wait until you meet this Beast. Beast 2 makes everything else seem like a masterpiece.

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/01, Updated 01/31/01