Radical Rex

"Radical Rex could be a bit better"

I got this game really cheap one day, thinking it was going to be pretty cool. I mean, there's a dinosaur riding a skateboard on the front of the game, and that seemed like it would be fun. Only problem was, the skateboard only showed up in about two levels, and could be lost way too easily.
So how does the rest of this game measure up? Read on.

Story--

This game's story is nothing terribly new and exciting. Apparently this psycho-looking floating weasel thing wants the mammals to rule the world, instead of the dinosaurs, for once. So he gets this army of furry creatures together to help him do that. Of course, you, as Rex, have to stop him. You're a really tiny t-rex that can breathe fire. The strange thing is, even some dinosaurs are against you, as well! That's pretty sad. The only thing I can think of, is that they were hypnotized by the psycho weasel into doing his dirty work. But how can you ever know, since nothing really gets explained in the game.

Gameplay--

Nothing here is very confusing. Your movements are pretty much ranged from jump to spit fire. Once in a while you have to climb vines or swing on ropes, but that's not hard to figure out. The real trouble comes in the difficulty level, at times. The enemies are pretty darn annoying. You can never kill some of them. All you can do is breathe fire on them and they are stunned for a few moments, giving you time to get by. Then they come back to life.
The end boss is totally hard as well, and it took me about 20 or more minutes to understand how to beat him. And even when you do, the ending is awful.
So, what about that skateboard on the front of the game? You barely ever get to use it, and when you do it's really limited in what you can do with it. You can go in upside down loops quickly, but the fun kind of stops there. There is no way to get off the board and still keep it. And you cannot have it for the entire level. If they're going to put the board on the cover, I think you should have access to it a bit more. That was the thing that was supposed to make Rex so Radical, I think.
You also get a bonus level after a normal level if you collected enough eggs, or something. You have here a chance to get a life, which you need if you intend to get far at all.

Sound--

The music is okay, but not at all terrific. I can't remember but it probably was the type that got annoying after you lost a thousand lives and had to start the level over again. Which you often will.
Other sounds are as expected, like the noise of Rex breathing fire. At the end of the level he says things like "Awesome" and "Radical." No deep dialogue here. I think it's funny that Rex sounds like a surfer dude from California.

Other stuff to be noted--

This game really does things cheaply after a few levels. You will go through a few generic type levels, like a jungle, lake area, etc. When you get to the end, and fight some boss, you have to return all the way back to the first level you completed so that you can complete the game for real. Yes, you heard right. You actually have to replay the levels all over again, just backwards. And nothing has changed. I was appalled at this. Just what were the developers thinking? Would it have hurt to install a new level or two? Or better yet, they could have just stopped the game earlier instead of trying to prolong it, making it worse. This terrible fact brings down the game's score a lot.
Also, one feature that you have to utilize to beat any of the tougher enemies, is increasing your flame breath capability. You pick up strange tokens, and every time you get one, your breath increases and reaches farther. With the breath meter maxed out you can easily take down most enemies. The last boss is almost impossible without it. Trouble is, it goes back to the start if you lose a life.

Replayability--

Absolutely none. This is just a short, tough action game that you thought would be for kids, judging by the look of the thing. All you have to do is get to the end, which you might not be able to stand playing that long. After that, the credits roll and there's nothing more to do. Nor will you probably want to play it again. Too bad they didn't utilize that skateboarding feature a lot more, maybe use it in the bonus levels. But alas, they didn't. That would have made you want to play again, if done right.

Should you buy it?--

Well it's a Genesis game so it'll be hard to find, but if you do find it in Gamestop or something, I really wouldn't suggest it. I'm sure there are other games at the same price that would be more fun. But if you want to blow the five bucks or so on it, go ahead. It's not as bad as some other Genesis games.

The conclusion--

Due to repetitive levels, and extreme frustration with gameplay at times, I had to give this game a 6 out of 10. It has some nice points, and if the developers took the time to polish those, this would be given a higher score.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/01/04