Altered Beast

"Awkward Beast"

This, unlike a lot of classic games, is unfortunately not one. Probably nobody would remember it at all if it wasn't the pack-in game for the Sega Genesis right when the system got released.

Anyway, Neff, god of the underworld (isn't that Hades?) has kidnapped Athena, goddess of wisdom, for no readily apparent reason. Zeus, Athena's dad, commands you, a recently deceased Roman centurion, to "wise from your wrave" and fight your way through Neff's legions of the undead to rescue his daughter. As an added bonus, he's also given you the power to change into various half-beast creatures, Altered Beasts, to give you that extra edge against the monsters in your way. Why Zeus needs you to rescue Athena when he's powerful enough to raise the dead and give the gift of metamorphosis is something we'd be here all day discussing, so let's just let it go.

One problem I've noticed with porting beat 'em up arcade games to home systems is you have to beat a lot better at them to beat them at home. Your character in Final Fight or Narc is meant to go down easily, so that the game can keep squeezing quarters of you to keep playing. Altered Beast was no different, with three hits equalling a lost life. But while in most arcade ports you can set a variable number of continues to keep you going if you run out of lives, Altered Beast ain't like that. No continues for you!

Which is made even less tolerable by the awkward fighting system. A guy has to be right up in your face for your blows to land, and if he hits you, you go flying backwards, possibly right into another guy who will also hit you. And there are no power ups to regain health.

The only power ups available come in the form of "spirit balls," which are released when you kill a blue two-headed dog. Pick one up, and with a cry of "power--UP!" you turn into the ancient Roman version of Lou Ferrigno. Get another, and you look like a guy wearing an exaggerated muscle suit. A third changes you into that level's Altered Beast.

Which brings me to another problem with the game. You become a different monster with different powers in each level (werewolf, werebear, even a weredragon). This is the big draw of the game, and seems really cool, until you realize that not very far into each level you meet Neff, and if you've achieved Altered Beast status, you automatically have to fight whatever creature he morphs into right away. Whether you're still getting used to your new powers or not. That's pretty darn cheap, considering the variety of new attacks the player has to get used to in such a short time after becoming an Altered Beast. And once you do beat whatever infernal beast whose form he took on, you promptly lose your Altered Beast form just as you were getting used to it and are whisked off to the next level.

The graphics aren't really bad for a game so old and so early in the advent of home 16-bit gaming, but the sounds are all horrible. From the music to the sound effects. This game had a great idea behind it, but the execution wasn't so good. From now on when I feel like changing into a werewolf I'll be sticking with Metamorphic Force.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 05/09/04