"An obscure game about a person that can shoot off his limbs"

Plok is... certainly one of the oddballs of the bunch. Made in 1993 by Tradewest (which is odd because the site said Activision Japan), this game featured a comical character of the same name.

You're arsenal may seem small, but looks can be deceiving. You have your limbs, which can be fired off in front of you. This, in turn, can create a jumping torso. You need at least one leg for locomotion. You also get a load of wasps. These buggers will home onto the enemy and splatter themselves just for you. Then, there is the medallion. When you get it, it allows you to exchange shells for a summersault/blade attack that is great on anything airborne.

Besides your detachable limbs, you have special suits. The Flamethrower is great for mowing down hoards of fleas (that's right, little blue fleas). The boxer form allows you to throw off boxing gloves. It's a bit more powerful than your normal fists as these can break logs. The Hunter uniform has a scattergun that blasts short-range pellets into the enemy. And the Sheriff... well, he has a little ''Bang!'' flag, but that is very powerful... but also not worth your trouble. It's just good for getting your limbs back.

When you get to the Flea Pit, the suits get even more interesting... more like vehicles. The Unicycle allows you to spray water and hop on one wheel. The truck has a mean horn that can hurt enemies, but is not particularly fast. The motorcycle is fast, period. The tank can do quite nicely with your adversaries. If only he kept this for the queen. Instead, he gets spring shoes and a spray canister that can shoot in multiple directions. Better than nothing, I guess.

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Category Summary

The Scoring categories are...

Story - The mission or reason the game exists. Does the story give me the feel for the game? Or does it just seem to be ''there'' for no reason? If there is no story, the review will ignore this category.

Graphics - The presentation of the game. Does it work for the style of the game? Or does it seem ''out of place''?

Music - The songs of the game. Does it warrant a listen to? Or would I rather listen to something else?

Sounds - The sounds of the game. Does it bring out the game? Or does it just annoy me?

Gameplay - The handle of the game. Does it feel that you are in control? Or does it feel that ''leaps of faith'' would define the controls?

Fun Factor - The game's enjoyment. Would you enjoy the game? Or would it just bore you quickly?

Replayability - The possibility of bringing you back to the game. Are you going to play a game a month later to remember how good it was? Or just to see why you hated it so much?

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Story

''You are Plok. Someone stole your flag. When you come back, all your old flags have become Flea Flags. You must replace the flags and defeat the queen.''

Wow... Plok has a short temper. ''Someone changed the flags?! That's it! The Queen is going to die!''

Score: 7/10

Graphics

They look... cartoon-y. That's all I really can say about this game. The characters are nicely made, though.

Score 8/10

Music

There is something to be said about the music. It's bland at first, but the boss music is excellent. The boss music is worth it, but the rest of the game has... average music. You may want to have several CDs for the areas such as Towns, Scary Forests, Pits, Mountains, Land...

Score - 7/10

Sounds

There are quite a few sounds in this game. Not greatly interesting, but it works.

Score - 6/10

Gameplay

Except for a few shortcomings (ever see a man jump out of water like that?), this game is rather easy to control. It feels good enough for you to hold, and challenging enough to keep you going.

Score - 9/10

Fun Factor

I guess I had a pretty good time with Plok, though I am not sure that it would fun for all. Plok is a love/hate relationship. You may like it because it has a load of things for usage. You may hate it because it is too easy to die.

Score - 7/10

Replayability

Beat the game, beat it fast, and that is that. If they had a better ending to go with it, it would be more worth the trouble.

Score - 6/10

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Score Summary

Story - 7
Graphics - 8
Music - 7
Sounds - 6
Gameplay - 9
Fun Factor - 7
Replayability - 6

Total - 50/70

Overall Score - 7/10

Recommendation - This game is for everyone that feels that they want to use a few minutes of their free time for goofing off. If not, then you may just want to look at another game.

* Remember this review is my opinion only. You should make the final call on the game. *

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/14/03, Updated 06/14/03