Rampage

"This game was made for the portable format..."

Let's make one thing clear, I'm not going to spend a lot of time explaining what kind of game Rampage is. First off, there's not much to it. And second, 99% of gamers know *exactly* what kind of game Rampage is. So here's the game in a nutshell. One day three scientists were unlucky enough to drink this "magic" serum. Which mutated them into huge monsters, as tall as buildings. Depending on your taste, you choose from a giant rat, a giant lizard/godzilla rip-off, and a giant wolfman. And then embark on a "rampage" through the cities of the world. The goal? Smash everything in sight, namely, every building in the neighborhood. Once you've leveled the place, you move to the next city. And this goes on for about 100 levels. 100 LEVELS! Not much plot, and not much gameplay, other than smashing the same buildings over and over. Boring? Dull? Yup. On a console system. Rampage on PSX or NES *does* get boring real fast. And so it's a great weekend rental, but a waste of $40. This however, is the Lynx version. And that changes *everything*. Rampage is GREAT on a portable system. The simple plot and gameplay are the perfect fix for when you just want some chaos.

GRAPHICS: Rampage's strongest point is right here. Everything is huge. Bigger, in scale, than any other version of Rampage. Including the arcade. The monsters move smoothly and everthing is colorful and in full view. ****

SOUNDS: Pretty generic. The music is a direct port from the NES and original arcade. And the sound effects really could have used more bass. It's dissappointing that the Lynx's stereo wasn't taken advantage of. **1/2

CONTROL: Same as always. If you've played one Rampage, you've played this one. Jump button, punch button. Period. Simple controls that are impossible to screw up. ****

OPTIONS: Rat. Wolf. Lizard. *

REPLAY: On a console system, you'd dump this puppy by the third day. But on the Lynx, Rampage has unlimited replay. That's the beauty of a portable system...you can play when ever, and where ever you want. Consequently, Rampage never gets old. ****

Well there's no doubt Rampage is an arcade classic. And it deserves the same prestige on the Lynx. The Lynx version boasts graphics and sounds superior to the original arcade game. Which wasn't too shabby to begin with. Trust me...for good, portable fun, you can't beat Rampage.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99