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"A Good Port of a Great Game"

Battletoads was released on the Game Gear in 1993 by Tradewest. Having played the NES version, I can say that it is a very faithful port (seeing as how the NES version is a faithful port of the arcade original). Battletoads is a very fun and relatively simple beat 'em up that will keep you entertained and interested for quite a while. It has good graphics, sound, and a good game engine.

STORY - (6/10)
In the game, none of the story is revealed until the end. You have to either know it or read the manual. It's exactly the same as all the other Battletoads games. Your best friend Pimple and his girlfriend Angelica have been kidnapped by the Dark Queen. Now you must defeat her and her minions and rescue your friend. It's not a great story but really, how important is a story to a game where you beat things up as a toad?

GRAPHICS - (8/10)
For Game Gear graphics, they are very good. Everything is bright and very colorful. Everything is very well distinguished, you can tell crows form pigs and everything else. The backgrounds, while not extremely detailed, do convey a feeling to each level. The level with the ice, for example, has a background that creates the feeling of an icy and large cave. There isn't very much motion blur even when running across the screen. All attacks and motions are animated nicely and it brings all the characters to life. Not too bad for a Game Gear game.

MUSIC/ SOUND - (7/10)
The music in the game is good and fits the game very well. Every level has a feel to it and the music reflects that nicely. Most of it is fast paced and pushes the action element of the game. There are not a great deal of sound effects in the game. Punching, kicking, and jumping all have their own little beeps and bops that add a little depth to the sound. Although they aren't the most advanced, the sound effects work for the game. The same could be said for the music. Not amazing, but good.

GAMEPLAY - (9/10)
Ah, gameplay, the meat in our toad stew. For a beat 'em up, the gameplay is actually pretty varied. There are normal fight all the enemies on the screen levels, levels where your in vehicles avoiding obstacles, levels with platform jumping, and even a level where you ride on giant snakes. For normal fighting enemy levels, button 1 is punch and button 2 is jump. Very simple and easy. In levels with vehicles, both buttons are used to jump. Vehicle levels are basically just avoiding obstacles to keep from dying. Dying, by the way, is something that you will probably be doing often. If there is one thing that has always been said about Battletoads games, it's that they aren't very easy. This one is no exception. Despite the gameplay, gameplay is relatively good. The only gripe I have is that the vehicle levels can be repetitive. They are always the same and memorization is the only real way to get past them. Other than that, The gameplay is very good and simple.

OVERALL - (8/10)
At times, Battletoads can display the level of fun to make it feel perfect. Then you miss a jump and die. It's one of the few things that keeps it from being perfect but it's also what makes it so entertaining. The difficulty gives the game a very high replay value. It's one of those games where you say, "I know I can beat it. I gotta play it just one more time." It's fun, it's challenging, and it's a very a good game. It is pretty hard to find but if you can find it you should buy it. It will provide you with hours of entertainment and a good challenge. Just remember to destroy the aliens on the third level!

STORY - (6/10)
GRAPHICS - (8/10)
MUSIC - (7/10)
GAMEPLAY - (9/10)
OVERALL - (8/10)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/08

Game Release: Battletoads (US, 1993)