Yo! Noid

"Yo! Noid and reviewers have a love/hate relationship, and this reviewer hates it"

If you watched TV in the 80's, you may have seen the Domino's Pizza advertisement campaign featuring The Noid, a strange looking red rabbit. Apparently this mascot monstrosity was marketed beyond normal limits, and one of the results of this was Yo! Noid, an NES video game by Capcom.

When you turn on the game, you are greeted with Noid, grinning in a rather sinister fashion. If you wait a few seconds, the game goes on to inform you of a disaster: your evil twin Mr. Green is leading ferocious wild animals into New York City! Mysteriously, the mayer [sic] would rather ask a chubby guy in a rabbit suit to chase him down than the NYPD. Politicians.

If you think it's weird now, just wait. Noid agrees to help the city, but for his weapon, he brings along his trusty yo-yo. As I was watching this, I waited for the plot twist. Was it a grenade disguised as a yo-yo? Handcuffs in a yo-yo shaped container? No, it's just a yo-yo. I wonder what that's going to do to these much feared wild animals.

Yo! Noid has surprisingly good graphics for an NES game, and the world is very detailed. Unfortunately, it looks nothing like New York City. The bright green grass and the roads that are apparently dirt look very out of place with the blue-gray skyscrapers that are scattered around.

The first level is a waterfront dock of some sort. In true platformer style, the dock is riddled with holes. The enemies include seagulls and fish. Also, strange men with harpoons are trying to kill you. A hit with your yo-yo sends them literally flying away; I suspect a helium nozzle in the yo-yo. Aside from all this, the control isn't responsive, making it nigh impossible to complete the first level.

Unless you're a die-hard Domino's Pizza fan (do those exist?) I don't recommend this game. If you want a platformer, then I suggest you go buy a Mario game. If you want chubby guys in rabbit suits, a pseudo-NYC, and men with harpoons that want to kill you, well... then I suggest you seek mental assistance.

Controls - 2
The controls are horribly unresponsive, making Yo! Noid one of the few, the proud, the elite, things that make pizza annoying.
Graphics - 5
The rich, colorful graphics are surprisingly good (for an NES game), unlike most other elements of Yo! Noid.
Fun - 2
The only reason this didn't get a one is because there is some amusement to be had ridiculing the overweight guy in a bunny suit.
Sound - 1
The annoying blips and bleeps that are supposed to pass as music just gave me a headache.
Difficulty - 1
A hard game can be good, but this isn't merely hard, it's annoyingly tedious.

Overall - 2
Anyone who thinks this is a good game probably works for Domino's or something.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 09/04/02, Updated 09/04/02