PlayStation 2

Rampage: Total Destruction

This game will tickle that part of us that remembers Rampage as a bitchin' way to spend a quarter, but that doesn't mean it's an awesome game - it means it's an awesome memory. I know I might sound a little bitter, but sometimes it's sound advice to let the past be and, for me, revisiting Rampage is my lesson learned.

Remakes of old games are a decidedly mixed bag. Sometimes, it’s like playing a newly remastered version of an old Beatles record, as you get a new appreciation for an all-time classic. Other times, it’s more like finding a Spin Doctors CD in the closet of your old room at your parent’s house, evoking little more than a feeling of “What was I thinking?” While it does hold some nostalgic fun for fans, I’m afraid the experience of playing this new version of Rampage is much closer to the latter than the former.

Nothing is more gratifying than, after a hard day at work, being able to destroy one of man's great creations. Even better is when you can destroy a ton of them with little or no remorse to the people, objects, or dangers that lie in your way. Rampage: Total Destruction allows you to vent, but in a humorous way thanks to B movie surroundings, hilarious one-liners, and tons of inside jokes for pop culture fan.

The only thing more depressing than a remake of a classic game that isn't very good is a remake of a classic game that simultaneously isn't good on its own merits, and also manages to bring you to the realization that the classic game on which it's based isn't as good as you remember it being. Midway's Rampage series took arcades by storm back in the late '80s, providing players with the ability to storm through various metropolitan areas of the world and destroy them with gargantuan monsters. It was the kind of simplistic, button-mashy fun that could fly in a simpler time, a game designed specifically for mindless entertainment and to keep you inserting quarters. There actually hasn't been a new version of Rampage in half a decade, and after playing Rampage: Total Destruction, the newest installment in the series, it's not tough to see why.

In the end, you'll probably make it through Las Vegas, San Francisco, and London, but after that, if you're still playing, you're either immensely bored or far more enamored with the game than I was. Rampage: Total Destruction has few good points, and the basic theme is still good-hearted fun (which does work, to some extent), but there are just too many glaring issues to recommend it for purchase...even if it is only $20. But I always like to leave the reader with something positive, so I'll say it's certainly better than other budget-priced PS2 titles. Beyond that...

The Rampage license has been a bit of a lost sheep over the last few generations of gaming. The original arcade production gave gamers a platform for uninterrupted mindless destruction. Two monsters would enter an area, wreak havoc on an area, and move onto the next helpless city. It was basic, but it was a hell of a good time. As the industry evolved, however, Rampage didn't stand the test of time. Dozens of iterations swarmed the shelves, but nothing could hold up to the original mayhem of classic Rampage. While Rampage: Total Destruction has stuck to its side-scroller roots, it offers little to progress the series while managing to break a few high points along the way. It may be 3D, it may have over 25 characters, hell it's even $20. In the end, though, it just isn't worth the investment.

Rampage: Total Destruction is an attempt for the classic Rampage franchise to smash its way (pun intended) back into the hearts of gamers, accompanied by a fresh coat of paint while keeping the original formula intact. But when you're at the store looking at all the games out there, you have to ask yourself if it's a necessary purchase for your collection. Still, Midway has decided to spend the resources to create Rampage: Total Destruction, hoping that gamers dust off their nostalgia lenses, get lured in by the $20 price tag, and are enticed by the thrown-in original Rampage and Rampage World Tour -- just to see who bites.

Bien que Rampage m'ait laissé un agréable souvenir, ce remake n'a pas eu le même effet sur ma personne. Vite redondant, limité et poussif dans sa progression, Rampage Total Destruction n'a pas beaucoup de points positifs à présenter pour sa défense. Le côté nostalgique de l'ensemble n'étant pas vraiment suffisant pour pousser les papys du jeu vidéo à acquérir ce titre, je ne vois pas vraiment qui pourrait être intéressé par un soft se résumant à casser du béton pendant 8 heures d'affilée.

"Rampage: Total Destruction" resgata os bons e maus momentos da clássica série. Em meio a tantos jogos "épicos", ao menos em duração, games simples assim podem ser um alívio, mas é necessário um controle melhor e um sistema de jogo mais equilibrado para ser um pouco mais divertido. A variedade pode não ser o forte, mas pelo preço econômico, agrada aquelas pessoas que gostam mais destruir que construir cidades em "SimCity".

If you were a gamer back in the days when the best games could only be found in arcades, chances are you have fond memories of the original Rampage, Midway's original monster mash. As one of three gargantuan beasts (George the gorilla, Lizzie the lizard, or Ralph the werewolf), you and up to two other players razed buildings, swatted helicopters, and snacked on soldiers and civilians in a gleefully destructive, uh, rampage. After completely leveling a city, you moved onto the next one and started all over again, sort of like Slayer on tour.

In this cautionary tale of corporate malfeasance, a cola taste test goes horribly wrong, the culpable company's product turning brand-loyal dweebs into gargantuan anthropoids; its subsequent cover-up earns their hellish ire. Let the apocalypse begin. Rampage: Total Destruction is exactly what you'd expect from an update of the vintage coin-op, Rampage. Playing one of about 30 selectable 50-foot tall mutants you satiate your destructive urges by smashing skyscrapers, luxury hotels, casinos, and assorted tourist traps.

Back in the 1980’s, there was this little arcade game released called Rampage. The concept was simple enough. You were a human, but have just been turned into a gigantic creature – be it gorilla, wolf or lizard – and were naturally a bit pissed off. From there, you guided your freak of nature through various levels with the goal of destroying all buildings, eating whoever was foolish enough to get in your way. Whilst it’s hardly a classic, the basic formula was acceptable and worked well enough back in the 80’s. However, it didn’t work in the late 90’s when Midway last tried to bring the game back on the N64 and PSOne, and it sure as hell doesn’t work in this day and age.

I'll admit, I had some fun back in elementary school with the original Rampage. My cousin and I would always sit down and attempt to beat the whole game in one sitting back on the NES. You know what happened every time? We got about a fourth of the way into it, got really bored and popped in something more interesting. If the original title got stale that quickly, you can imagine how quickly you'll get tired of a new installment with no significant improvements. Once again, Rampage exemplifies repetition like no other series in gaming.