Joe & Mac

"A decent game worth checking out"

Joe & Mac

Gameplay: 8.5/10

Visuals: 9/10

Sound: 8/10

Ingenuity: 6/10

Replay Value: 7/10


Joe & Mac is a classic side scroller made by Data East. You take control of either Joe or Mac as the name might suggest, and set out to save the prehistoric world full of dinosaurs, evil cavemen, and some weird blue devil thing. It’s a load of fun, but I probably didn’t have to tell you that. It’s a 2D side scroller on the SNES. What did you expect?

The gameplay is wonderful! Either caveman is equipped with a club. At first, it’s weak, but as you progress, you can find cool power ups to make your club shoot things like bones, boomerangs, and ever tires! The enemies are what you would expect from a game in a prehistoric setting. There are you evil cavemen, legions of different dinosaurs, and hoards of bosses. There are your standard dinosaurs in the game, and quite a few odd ones. You'll see baby T-Rex's, small chicken like ones (like from the beginning of Jurassic Park: Lost World), huge sharks, and even cavemen who fly in stone helicopters and throw bombs at you! There are such a wide variety of enemies to face. It really adds to the game and makes every time you play enjoyable. Each level pits you against a boss at the end. The bosses are usually large dinosaurs such as a T-Rex or a pterodactyl, but there are some original ones in there too, like giant plants and even a dinosaur skeleton! However, the game isn’t terribly long (I can beat it in less than an hour these days), and it isn’t terribly tough either. That doesn’t stop it from being lots of fun though. The graphics in this game are excellent! Each level is full of lush detail and color. All of the enemies are beautifully drawn, and very well detailed. It’s really a joy to see every level. The music is also very good. It doesn’t get irritating, but it certainly won’t go down as a classic OST. Because of the short length, there isn’t a whole lot of replay value, but since it’s a ton of fun, you’ll most likely want to play through it a few times. Thankfully, it does have a two-player mode, which is great too. I love playing this game with friends!

I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a solid 2D side scroller. It’s a load of fun, and shouldn’t cost you too much. If you can find it, pick it up. It’s definitely a game worth playing through!

Final Score(Not an average): 85%

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/03