Genesis

Zero Tolerance

Intense first-person action awaits for those who can stomach vivid gunfire and buckets of blood. Fortunately, the game's graphics flaws don't overshadow the enjoyment it provides.

Consoles were never known for their astounding library of first person shooters. In fact, the only one I can particularly remember (skipping over the Doom and Wolfenstein ports) was Faceball 2000. And of course, this game - the shining example of how to do a console FPS justice. Not only does it offer an engine as smooth as its PC counterparts, it also offers a number of elements fairly original for its time. It resulted in a game worth playing no matter what system it was on, and the fact that it was the Genesis just made it all the more noteworthy.

First person shooters, while a main staple of the Personal Computer game library, weren't prevalent on the Genesis. In fact, I believe that there was only one, but that's ok, because it's a good one. The story line is pretty run of the mill, even for six years ago when the game was released. Aliens have invaded, and it is your job to eradicate them.

Well, this is something new for the Genesis. Zero Tolerance looks and feels like Wolfenstein 3-D or Doom, but without the extreme gore. The first thing anyone will notice is how tough this game is. Getting attacked from all sides is not uncommon, in fact, it's the norm! However, if you feel like lugging your Genesis and a TV over to a friend's house, you can cooperatively play in a Two-player Mode. Cool and fun.

Now i'm not saying this is a terrible game. With all of it's problems, it's still fun to play. It's just that it could have been much better. If you blood, guts and plenty of action from less than unexpected intruders, give it a shot. The action is there, but if you're tired of the shooter genre, let this one slide.

Zero Tolerance is...OK, nothing great or amazing, the game screen is shrunk way too small. While you might trip out to the smooth first-person view, I'd rather play Mortal Kombat instead, though.

I think that if you take ZT just as a nostalgic little romp through a bygone era of gaming, then there's no problem in sight. The difficulty arises when you try to justify the game as still relevant, still worth the money, and still a serious contender. That's when I suggest that – apologies to the fans – ZT just doesn't cut it. Let me make myself clear: ZT is a great Genesis tech demo and certainly a must-own for a) collectors or b) dedicated Genesis gamers who have the resources to buy everything they come across. But to the people who want a core selection of the "as good now as it was a decade ago" games? Not worth the time. However, as a loyal member of the second group (except for the rich part), I need to go back to playing. My boot still longs for the gore of alien drones...