Vectorman

"Its everything Earthworm Jim wanted to be!"

Vectorman...The game that blew Earthworm Jim (and many other run and gunners) away. It began in 1995, and was an incredible hit. In fact, it was so good it spawned an equally great sequel for the Genesis, and even was redone for the PlayStation! But enough about that. On with the review!

Story: 6/10
The story is very basic, yet strangely interesting. If you are looking for a game with incredible plot and amazing storylines, you should look elsewhere. The story goes like this: It is the year 2045, and humans have left for the stars while they leave thousands of orbots (which are more or less made of orbs), to clean up for when they come back. The head orbot Raster, oversees the cleanup through a ComNet, which controls the lesser orbots' actions. However, during a checkup, a nuclear missile is programmed into Raster's circuits. He now calls himself ''WarHead'', and stands for doom, destruction, and tyranny. Through ComNet, he controls all the other orbots' as well, giving him an army to build him a deathtrap for the returning humans.
Meanwhile, Vectorman was out delivering some sludge to the sun. When he got back, he was the only one not controlled by WarHead. So off he goes to destroy WarHead, and keep the Earth safe. Not the best, but still enough to tie the game together.

Gameplay: 10/10
I only give a ten to the games that deserve it, and this one deserves an 11. The controls are very simple. D-pad moves you around and allows you to jump. B and C are the shoot buttons, and A allows you to use powerups if you have any. A perfect example of run and gun. Basically, you run through the 15 levels, or ''Days'' as the game calls them, and duck, shoot, run, dodge, collect powerups, find secret areas, defeat bosses, collect points- Wait just a minute! Did I hear ''collect points''? Yes, this game uses a point system, not to give you extra lives or weapons, but simply to hold the game together. You want to come back and try to beat your old score, just like the classic arcade games of old. In a sense, the game never gets boring! The powerups are incredible. One encases Vectorman in an energy field and when used, destroys everything on the screen. Others turn him into a drill, a bomb, and increase your health. The health system is different from most games. Starting out, you get 5 ''Health Spheres'' Every time you get hit, you lose a sphere. No more, no less. If you get a certain powerup, you can increase your health permanently, or simply restore it. Very unique. The enemies had a lot of work put into them. Some are flying wasps, mini-tanks, walking turrets...The bosses are the same. Bomb dropping air fighters, other more powerful orbot prototypes, and the pointy headed on himself ''WarHead'' himself. The gameplay is excellent, and I would not be surprised if someone called this the best game on the Genesis. It certainly is the best run and gun on the Genesis.

Graphics: 10/10
If the gameplay is so incredible, then the game's weak point must be the graphics. Am I right? No. The graphics are the best ever seen on the Genesis. Words can not accurately describe how awesome the graphics are. Vectorman walks with no skipping, no choppiness, no flaws, period. The same goes for the backgrounds and level design. In one particular level, you dive underwater on a sunny day. You can see the rays of light coming down from the top of the screen, and reflecting off Vectorman's armor. Air bubbles also come up from the bottom of the screen. In an Arctic level, the snow is seen clearly. You feel like you are IN the level. The graphics of this game are better than many Playstation games. Simply incredible. They also add bits of humor here and there to the levels. In one level, you are a train very high up on skyborne tracks. In one boss fight, Vectorman is spinning around on a dance floor and breakdancing while he fights. Very funny. I won't tell you where the last boss fight takes place, but it is definitely worth the money you pay for the game.

Sound/Music: 9/10
''Ok. The graphics are awesome, and the gameplay is incredible. The music must sound like a MIDI of a baby crying right?'' Wrong again my friend. The music is some of the best I've ever heard. It fits the level almost perfectly, and just like the game itself, you never get tired of listening to it. The sound is crisp and syncranises perfectly to the motions and shots that Vectorman and the environment make. Excellent.

Rent or Buy: Buy
As with many Genesis games out there, it is sometimes a little hard to find them. Vectorman is fairly easy to find if you look in the right places. If you get lucky, you may be able to rent it. But after reading this review, why would you want to? Buy it.

Overall: 10/10
Vectorman is a great game. One of the absolute best on the Genesis. After playing this game, I found no reason at all not to shell out around five dollars for it. This game is a classic in the run and gun genre, and always will be. Thank you for reading.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/03