Pulseman

"Standard platforming, with little creativity or diversity"

Pulseman is a game I have only discovered recently, and which many of you will never come across. This game was born just as its system began to die, and as many hardcore gamers know, some hidden gems always seem to surface towards the demise of a system. Unfortunately, this is not one of those "rare" games. At first glance it may seem so, but under all the glitz and glamour, lies a very average game. Let us divulge.

Story: Basically, the game has its hero, Pulseman, going against a generic, "mad-scientist" looking bad guy. You must battle him in these sort of virtual reality worlds, which is very appropriate considering Pulseman can transform into pure electricity. There are a few moments where the game really shines and has you battling your nemesis inside an arcade machine, but more on that later. There are some really innovative scenes in which a news reporter is giving updates on Pulseman in his struggle. I thought this was quite impressive for such a system, especially since the reporter was speaking in a muffled, yet comprehensible voice. Pulseman also has a female assistant with him, whom I have yet to find a purpose for. I guess she's more of a cheerleader than anything.

Graphics: 9/10
WARNING: BE PREPARED FOR SEIZURES!!! Okay, maybe the graphics aren't that flashy, but there were times when I seriously think the programmers overdid it. I mean, is virtual reality supposed to look like a cross between a casino and 5000lbs. of fireworks? Luckily, only the last few levels are filled with flashing, multi-colored backgrounds. The game looks fantastic overall, especially for a 16-bit game. Pulseman is well animated, and almost everything is very detailed. Although I love the attention to detail, all of the characters feel very "been-there-done-that". If I were the art designer for Mega Man games, I'd look into this...

Sound: 7/10
Hmph...nothing very memorable here. I can't remember any of the tunes after I've played. But that's also a good thing, because none of the music was terrible either. Standard platform music, standard sound effects. The voices were a pleasant addition, and there is quite a bit of voice for a Genesis game.

Gameplay: 5/10
Unfortunately, this is where the game falters. I can play a game with vomit-inducing graphics and a soundtrack by Barry Manilow, as long as the gameplay is great. The gameplay in this one, however, is shallow and repetitive. Let me break it down: A platforming game has many similar elements all across the board. You have those that lean more on the jumping elements (Donkey Kong Country), those that lean more on the action elements (Mega Man), those that require some exploring (Castelvania: SOTN), and a blend of those elements (Super Mario 64). Now, Pulseman fits most appropriately into the last category, which is perfectly fine, except its execution is very poor. The jumping sequences are ridiculously easy, almost to the point of insulting. It boils down to: Jump on wide, slow-moving platform...wait...jump to next wide, slow-moving platform...wait...Now you would have to be a blind, fingerless ape in order to have trouble jumping ANYWHERE in this game (no offense to all you blind, fingerless apes, but you shouldn't be playing games anyway...). There are a lot of levels that have you use your electric kick maneuver to negotiate your way through mazes. This is one of the few semi-original elements in the game. At first it is refreshing, but after a few levels, it gets monotonous. Now here is what will upset most people...there are only a handful of slow enemies in each level. In fact, you can go through almost every level without having to kill a single enemy! There's nothing wrong with that, except if I'm subjected to boring platforming, I want a fierce monster to get in my way and give me a challenge. I don't want a robot dawdling along the floor at a snails pace. At least some of the bosses can give a bit of a challenge. However, like most bosses, once the pattern is found, they are quite easy to defeat. And in Pulseman's case, the pattern is found after one or two quick deaths. In fact, the last boss was quite difficult at first, the only time I died more than twice on a particular boss. But I soon found a technique that allowed me to win without taking a single hit. There is little exploring to be done, and whatever secret walls and hidden passages are to be found, contain nothing but a charge sphere or heart container. Overall, Pulseman is the perfect example of the saying, "A jack of all trades, but a master of none."

Replay: 2/10
Well, the game is quite short (a couple hours should have it finished), and there are no new features or bonuses after the game is beaten (that I know of). I don't think I'll play this ever again.

Overall: 6/10
Although my review touches upon all of the bad points, Pulseman is a fun game and will have you entertained for an hour or two, that is all.

Pros:
+ Pulseman has a variety of moves at his disposal
+ Very nice graphics
+ Breakout-like Bonus Stages

Cons:
- Too easy
- Too short
- Lack of depth

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/05