B.O.B.

"B.O.B. has wrecked his dad's car! Now what will he do!?"

Side scrolling action games have always delighted video game fans. From Pitfall to Donkey Kong Country, people have always liked this genre of gaming. Following in the tradition of teenage dating and robots and side scrolling comes B.O.B.

The story for this game is actually kinda cool. B.O.B. has a date, and to pick her up, he borrows his dad's car. However, while flying through space, he hits an asteroid and totals the car. Now he has to quickly find a new car, and still be in time for his date. Ok, so it's not the best reason to kill thousands of baddies, but the game is still pretty fun. The actual game is pretty simple. B.O.B. is a robot, and he is armed with a gun, he has to use this to get through levels. Of course, there's a myriad of weapons and items he can get to help him. From triple shots to homing missles, all of B.O.B.'s weapon needs are covered in this game. There are also pretty cool items, like things to make you fly like a helicopter and stuff. The game takes you accross three different planets, each tougher than the last. As for the levels, there's a "mechanical" level with robots and stuff, and then there's a "biological" level, which is like a rainforest, lots of plants and animals. The biological levels and the mechanical levels alternate. There are also big bosses strewn about making your life miserable.

The graphics of the game are pretty good. There's good use of shadow, and B.O.B. looks excellent, as do most of his enemies. The animation also flows smoothly. The sound is good too, but not excellent.

If you can find this game around, then it's worth a play at least. Although it's mostly just an average shoot 'em up side scrolling game, the humerous plot, and the difficulty will keep you coming back for more. This game's probably best for a rent, but if you can find it for sale at a cheap price, then that's a good idea too.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 08/07/01