Rampage 2 Universal Tour Review

It's time to start rolling out the Gameboy Colour games again, I have been completely swamped by these little fella's since I reviewed Madden 2000 a month or so ago, so expect to see quite a few reviews go up in the next couple of weeks. As you would expect, I have had a good play with them all, and as you would expect also, there are some real corkers and some real stinkers. Today's offering comes from Midway, and is namely Rampage 2, and unfortunately this one is a real stinker.

Just so you know, the story line goes something like this, you play the part of a Mutant threesome (it does say there are 6 but where the other three come in I don't know, I would have had to get myself committed long before I got that far), who generally spend there time trashing the planet (earth that is). Your two pals have been captured and it is now your job to trash the planet a bit more and free them.

I don't like to be too harsh about game makers and publisher, (biting the hand that feeds you n'all that), especially after getting severely ticked over a few innocent comments about Cryo. Incidentally I will get around to reviewing Aztec and Faust, but as you would know if you had played then, I am putting it off. Anyway, this game is possibly the worst game I have ever played on the Gameboy Colour, (for the worst PC games I have ever played, I refer you back to Cryo).

Although all stated is pretty bad so far, the Graphics and Sound aren't too bad, the game manages capitalise on the Gameboy Colour's added features and really make a game, which visually isn't too shabby. Sound also isn't bad, it's at least average anyway.

Now the name suggests that Rampage 2 is the predecessor to a game called Rampage, (well duh!). Well if so, I never ever want to see Rampage 1, I don't think I could take it.

The problem with this game it that it's just too repetitive, trashing one building is fun enough, trashing about 20 in a level is ok, but by level 16(ish) I was ready to trash more than just the next building. Many games can pull off the repetitive angle; Tetris is a well used, but good example of this. The thing Tetris has over Rampage 2 though, is that even though Tetris is repetitive each block is a bit different and where you put them will eventually determine the outcome of the game. The only thing not pre-defined/pre-determined in this game is the point where you give up, as the old saying goes: "Once you've trashed one building, you've trashed them all".

There are good points and bad points about this game, (more bad than good, but I think I have got my point across there). For die-hard Rampage fans (if there is such a thing), this maybe a great addition to their collection, but for me it was just a big disappointment.