Goemon's Great Adventure

"P-P-P-P-P-PLASMA!!! Great game!"

It's a shame that Goemon isn't as popular as other Japanese imports to our country, like Pokemon. In fact, there is so little press coverage for this game it seems like it almost doesn't exist. Thats too bad, because this is one of the best games I have ever played, and it's my favorite Goemon game so far.

GRAPHICS: 9/10 Great looking computer animated characters with nice animation. The Robot fighting scenes look nice, too. Unlike the 3D Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, there is no slowdown or camera problems, because the game is a side scroller. It works a lot better this way.

SOUND: 10/10 I love the Japanese-sounding music. The sound effects are mostly the characters shouting in Japanese, and some of them are funny. My favorite is the fortune teller when he shouts ''PLASMA!''

CONTROL: 8/10 The control is perfect except for some problems when jumping and swimming.

CHALLENGE/REPLAY VALUE: 8/10 The game is pretty long, and some of the stages are mind-bogglingly hard. It took me about a month to beat it, and I am an experienced player. Some areas, like the third level castle and the final level, will have you playing them for days to get through. Also there are several mini games you have to complete to get enough entry passes. Once you beat the game, you must find the remaining passes, which may keep you playing. But once you finish, there is little reason to play again. The two player mode really helps it, though.

STUPIDITY FACTOR: 7/10 This game is stupid, but in a good way. The characters are really funny, especially Ebisumaru the riceball snarfing ninja. You just can't help but laugh at the crazy Japanese humor. Of course, some things are lost in the translation...

OVERALL: 10/10

I really hope that the new Japanese Goemon cartoon will come to video format in the United States so that it can finally get the attention it deserves.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/09/00, Updated 02/09/00