Jim Power: Lost Dimension in 3D

"A very difficult but fair side-scroller"

I picked this game up in 1994 I beleive for 20 bucks.I had seen a list of the 10 hardest games in EGM and this game was rated the hardest. Super Ghouls and Ghosts for the super nintendo was also on that list. A game I just recently beat on the professional level. Using the emulator since I didnt want to leave my SNES on for several days. This game however is a quite a bit harder than Super Ghouls and Ghost, Target Earth for genesis and Lawnmower Man for Snes and any other difficult but fair games Ive played. Games like Heroes of the Lance may be impossible but they are programmed so badly they are practically unplayable. Im in my early twenties and have been playing games since atari 2600. I still play the old games much more then the new ones. This game is one Ive never beat. I got to the sixth level boss some time ago and that was really tough and frustrating took alot of practice. This is one game Ive gotten bored of and never enjoyed too much just stuck around for the challenge. Heres my review:

GamePlay and Control 5/10: The game plays fluidly its just really difficult and in my opinion really tedious and boring at times. You control Jim Power and you have 4 bombs you begin with and a gun. The gun is upgradable but you wont notice the difference (aside from the bullets changing to green haha). There are power-ups also.The 1-up being the most useful and temporary invincibility (haha very temporary).The best way Ive found to play this game is to inch your way through the side scrolling levels firing continuously. So I wouldnt call it a fast paced game by any means. Just dense with enemies and difficult jumps. On the first level (for example) one part requires you to jump on a moving platform (it moves left and right quickly) while also having to land on it at just the right moment and duck immediately because there is a mouth shooting spikes directly at you as soon as you land. Then you have to get out of the crouching position at just the right moment and jump up to the ledge to end the level. Can be very frustrating though this part isnt hard for me anymore.Most of the game is made up of side scrolling levels but there are 2 extremely difficult shooter levels (levels 3 and 6) and 2 overhead levels as well. The second level is a direct rip off of Contra 3 for SNES, and the game takes alot from Super Turrican also. (not nearly as good though haha) The music and collecting of Gems and voices are similiar to Super Turrican in many ways.
The game has seven levels total. 3 lives and 3 continues. One hit and your dead. So memorization is critical. But the game requires alot of skill also. Many of the jumping sequences (because of the spastic and strange movements of platforms) will require some intense concentration and will prove to be way too much for some players, if not most. There are a few main bosses in the game and mid bosses on every side scrolling level.I give it a 5 because while very playable its slow moving (if you intend to get anywhere, unless your skilled enough to rush through). But the control is pretty tight. Also it can be very tedious. Too tedious for me lately. Ive tried to play it again and just became too restless haha.

Graphics 6/10: The graphics in the game are very colorful and the backgrounds scroll in 2 different directions which looks impressive. But the enemies and your character look very generic. Its a strange looking game overall. Also the game has some weird 3-D effects if you wear the 3-D glasses that come with the game. Although Id reccomend you dont. haha It makes the game even more difficult. Overall pretty good graphics nothing too special aside from the 3-D effects.

Sound 5/10: The sound is nothing special. Music sounds kind of like it came from a cheap synthesizer, and sound effects are nothing special. The voices are clear but sound stupid.

Challenge 10/10: This (to me) is the best aspect of the game. Jim Power presents a very fair challenge. Very difficult, but you only have yourself to blame for the deaths and not bad programming or control.This game may take weeks of practice to beat, and even after all Ive played it I only made it to the sixth level boss. I stopped playing after a while due to major boredom haha. But this game certainly presents a challenge. Most gamers will be put off by the difficulty and monotony. But I think a few may see it as a challenge (hopefully this review will inspire some to try it).

Overall 5/10: This game is not very good and not too much fun overall. But in a strange way it compells me to beat it. Though I may never do it. haha Email me with you comments on the game and maybe feedback or questions. The game should be very cheap to pick up.Look forward to hearing from someone on this game. Until then Have fun but dont let this game suck out your soul. haha

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/03, Updated 06/21/03