Genesis

Altered Beast

Graphics and sound are impressive for the first 16-bit game released in 1989. Characters are nicely detailed and the levels scroll without problem. Voices can be heard along with some spooky sound effects. The two-player mode is a great feature because you can both change into the beasts and wreak some havoc. Overall, it is a good action game with cool beast transformations. And while Altered Beast is not too difficult, it could use more levels.

Uma história de muita ação: um centurião romano é ressucitado por Zeus, o deus dos deuses na mitologia grega. Athenas, filha de Zeus, foi seqüestrada pelo perigoso Neff. O centurião, para sobreviver às cinco fases do jogo, vai se transformando em animal, conforme a situação.

What Altered Beast lacks in gameplay and depth it has in pure simple fun. The controls are smooth and intuitive and the gameplay style makes it great for short periods of play. Even though I’m not tied to this game by nostalgia like so many other gamers, I can’t help but like it. To put it simply, this game is just fun.

Die Mega Drive-Fassung hinkt dem Arcade-Vorbild grafisch etwas hinterher, glänzt jedoch mit einer guten Spielbarkeit, die sich vor allem in den flotten Angriffen der Spielfigur äußert. Somit ist es um einiges einfacher zu spielen, wenn auch mangels einer Continue-Funktion nicht ganz leicht zu beenden. Der 2-Player Modus ist hier glücklicherweise vorhanden. Da die grafischen Nachteile die Verbesserung der Handhabung aufheben, ist diese Umsetzung mit dem Original gleichzusetzen.

There's a great deal of blood and flying limbs. Powering up as quickly as possible is the key to winning. A transformation screen shows your character turning into a powerful monster such as a werewolf, dragon, or bear. They didn't have morphing technology in 1988, but it still looks cool. Levels range from a cool graveyard to some boring caverns (yawn). The bosses take forever to beat. The digitized voices sound terribly muffled and the collision detection is questionable at times. Two players can fight simultaneously, but the screen tends to get crowded because the characters are large. One particularly bizarre aspect is the charging pigs, many of which contain power-ups. Okay, they're supposed to be two-headed wolves, but they sure look like pigs to me. I like Altered Beast, but it's hardly a game that will appeal to the masses. Hint: Hold down A when pressing Start to resume play at the last level you were on.

Originating from the arcades there’s almost no replay value. The game is very short. Not being able to move your character up or down in the field of play makes it easy for enemies to inflict the common cheap hit. Its’ graphics were amazing when released but were quickly put to shame by other games on the system within a year. Its’ sound effects however will always be remembered, as well as the games “transformation screen”. Both had major impacts on the gamers who experienced them.