Battletoads in Battlemaniacs

"A Tepid Result of a Sad, Sad Attempt at a Remake"

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs was a good idea in theory. Unfortunately, what looks to be a rushed game could have been much, much better.

Gameplay - 6/10
When compared to all of the other titles in this series, this title falls flat on its face. I'm not going to lie to you...the gameplay of this title is rather bland. One thing to this game's credit is its diversity of levels, which would easily work well in a Battletoads game, if it wasn't so freaking short. The constant changes in gameplay will wear on the casual gamer, and even the experienced gamer. This isn't unusual, the first game swapped genres multiple times. One thing that really burns my cheese is that Pimple, the first controller slot's character, is significantly slower than Rash, the second controller slot's character, with no advantage. If both characters were the same speed, or if Pimple had a strength advantage, this game would have gotten a 7 for gameplay.

Story - 3/10
The story in this game is rather bland. In fact, I can't even really remember exactly what it was, so it obviously isn't that memorable. It consists of a girl getting kidnapped through some virtual reality portal along with one of the toads, Zitz. Sound familiar? That's because that's exactly what happened in the first game. Except this time, it's not Pimple getting kidnapped. Hum. Of course, they go after the Dark Queen and Silas Volkmire, and the game begins blah blah.

Graphics - 6/10
The graphics in this game don't really use the system to its full capabilities. The backgrounds are mostly bland, and the sprites only have a few frames of animation. Most of the enemies in each level are just palette swaps on one enemy, which does the job, but they could have done more. Even little tiny changes on each sprite would have been better, like adding spiked shoulder pads to harder enemies and the like. Nope. Just palette swaps. There was a decent reflection effect in the riding levels, and nothing really notable otherwise.

Sound - 6/10
The music is...there. It's not as fun and goofy as the music in the other Battletoads games. I don't find myself humming the tunes in this game as much as the tunes in the original Battletoads or Battletoads/Double Dragon. It just doesn't feel nearly as fun or epic. The sound effects blend in really well, but don't really stand out as remarkable.

Replayability - 7/10
Despite its status as an action game, this game doesn't have as much replay value as a truly great action game. Games like Contra III and Gunstar Heroes can easily be played from beginning to end almost infinite times, whereas this game is really lame to play over and over. I play it once every three months or so, or if a friend really wants to play it I dig it out of my carts, otherwise it remains untouched.

Overall - 6/10
Battletoads in Battlemaniacs is really only for the hardcore Battletoads or action gamer. Its boring levels and unappetizing presentation will leave any gamer out in the cold. The gameplay is boring, the graphics aren't the worst, but they're not fantastic, and the sound isn't really awesome. Casual gamers will quickly be frustrated by the experience, and should stay away from this title. Even I, as a Battletoads fan, was left wanting something more after finishing this game.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/07