Cannon Fodder

The Good
The Genesis/Mega Drive version of Cannon Fodder was an oddity. A game that was designed for control with a mouse that works with a joypad.

Released in 1994, it had a lot to live up to. The Amiga & PC releases had gone down very well, but the skeptics said it couldn't be done on the consoles. They were wrong. Although it was missing the legendary theme song 'War has never been so much fun' it was still a blast. The digitised version of the song was good enough anyway.

The game is a 2/3 top down shooter where you control a squadron of Grunts to shoot & blast your way through each mission, split into several phases. each with different objectives and parameters. It was a game that required good vision, quick reflexes and a quicker brain.

With the enemy innumerable, the terrain hostile & the natives in the line of fire it made for a game that was testing to say the least. Thankfully though there is a password system, without which the game would be nigh on impossible.

The graphics were typical fare from Renegade & the Sensible team. Miniature sprites that hold great detail. The terrain between on each level looking great too.

The game itself, although of a violent nature, had elements of dark humour which is all part of the fun. You can't help but be amused & bemused at some of the things on show.

The sound was superb & greatly complimented to the gameplay. Although there is no in level music there are subtle sound effects which really add to the tension. But the gunfire sound effects can soon shatter that.

A superb game that was a little on the tough side but excellent to play.

The Bad
The difficulty curve was a tad steep.

The Bottom Line
This is what war games should be like, a blast that doesn't let up.