Vectorman

"A great game with a bizarre sense of humor"

Released towards the latter end of the life of the Sega Genesis in 1995 Vectorman showed that the system still had plenty of life in it. The game mixed top-notch graphics, smooth gameplay, creative level and enemy design and a fantastic soundtrack to create one of the best titles available for the console.

Vectorman takes place in 2049, when humans have polluted the earth to the point where it is now uninhabitable by any living organisms. So the humans decide to leave Earth to live amongst the stars for a while, and leave some ''orbots'', a type of robots designed specifically for cleaning up the mess we've made. The head robot, who goes by the name of Raster, oversees the clean-up and controls all the orbots through a network known as the ComNet. One day a group of robots accidentally attached a nuclear warhead to Raster's head and he was transformed into the evil destructive force known as WarHead. WarHead uses his influence to turn the planet into a deathtrap for the humans upon their return.
Now our hero comes into play. It seems our protagonist was off disposing of some garbage when WarHead took control of all the other robots through the ComNet, and now Vectorman must single handedly fight his way to find and defeat Warhead. While it's all a bit farfetched and reeks of bad sci-fi B-movieness you need to keep in mind this is an action game and if you came looking for an awe-inspiring plot you should really be looking elsewhere.

Game play takes place over 16 levels called ''days'' all of which have their own titles. The majority of the levels feature Vector Man scrolling from side to side however some take place with from a drop down view as seen in The Legend of Zelda for the NES or at an isometric view to give a more 3-D feel.
The scrolling levels have you fighting a series of enemies using the photon canon built into Vectorman's hand as well as any other weapons you may find along the way, as well as looking for ''photons'' to snag bonus points. Collect all of the photons and destroy all the TVs in a level and you can expect to receive a hefty amount of bonus points. Enemies range from slower and larger versions of Vectorman to turret-like enemies and bomb tossing robotic bees, but where the enemy design really shines is in the bosses, such as the trio of midgets made out of orbs who morph from form to form fighting our green hero, or the 3 robotic enemies who mysteriously leap from blue prints and attack you in one of the final levels. Another great idea incorporated into these levels are the transformation cubes, which allow Vectorman to temporarily change into one of various forms, and therefore opening a new path to him. For example, you can transform into a dune buggy and crash through walls, or get equipped with a jet pack and fly to new heights. Yet another interesting feature thrown in is the multipliers, which make you earn 2, 3, 5, or 10 times the points for destroying an enemy, as well as multiplying the number of dots added to your health meter and most usefully multiplying the number of lives earned when you pick up an extra life.
But the most fun and impressive levels are the shorter ones where you fight WarHead in quick battles, usually no longer than a minute or so. One of these levels has Vectorman transformed into a train and he has to shoot Warhead's hands while avoiding 2 or 3 other little robots shooting bullets at him. Another has Vectorman as a frog, shooting at Warhead's hands which are trying to crush him while trying to avoid being rolled up in the rug where the battle takes place. My absolute favorite though, takes place on a disco floor, with WarHead in the center surrounded by a rectangular wall of protection. As Vectorman, you have to spin like a top and shoot at Warhead when an opening appears in the wall, while avoiding the bolts of lightning he shoots and the small tornados that are spinning around on the dance floor as well.
The only thing that remains static in all these levels is Vectorman's health bar, which features 5 dots when you start up and can have as many as double that by the end of the game. Each time an enemy hits you, whether it's a boss or lacky, you lose one sphere. You can refill it by finding power-ups, and if you find a pulsating green heart you can add another dot onto your life meter, which definitely comes in handy later on in the game.

Control wise Vectorman is adequate. At times you'll find when you'll go to run you'll find yourself taking a bit too long to get going at a good click, but these moments are for the most part rare. The fire and jump/boost buttons are highly responsive, something very necessary in a game that's as fast paced as this. While not exactly something to write home about, they get the job done.

Graphically, however, Vectorman shows what the Genesis was capable of, and it makes you wonder why more developers didn't take advantage of the capabilities of the system. The graphics are in the style of ''2 and a half - D'' as seen in games such as Donkey Kong Country, or somewhat more recently Yoshi's Story. Brilliant flashes of light blaze across the screen as lightning strikes in the background in the 12th level, and beautifully drawn and articulate metal support beams can be seen in the background of the Underground Vault level. Cylindrical tanks filled with beautiful plants are seen in the Hydroponic Lab. Your hero himself is composed of a series of orbs, save his feet which look more like halved ovals. Enemies are wonderfully detailed, and there is literally no palette swapping to be seen. And the enemy design and appearance of the bosses is truly something to marvel at. Vectorman could easily have been released on the PlayStation and stood up against many of its early games.

The music fits the futuristic setting of the game perfectly, and could not have been any better designed, whether it's the brilliant opening theme or any of the other brilliant themes throughout. While I normally hate games that go with the age old instrument-free techno soundtrack I love Vectorman's more than any other's one the Genesis. The sound effects are also quite nicely done, whether it's the loud boom of an exploding turret as it crashes to the ground or the slam of an enemy robot slamming his fists down trying to crush our green hero.

Despite all this Vectorman does have its flaws. Their is very little variation in enemies, and there is occasional slow down during boss fights which is nearly inexcusable for a game that takes place at such a fast speed. And lets not forget the utterly laughable plot.

Aside from these facts though, VectorMan is one of the more enjoyable games for the Sega Genesis, and anyone interested in a great combination of side scroller and platformer should check into it. You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/02, Updated 07/09/02