Awesome Possum (Genesis)
Reviewed by: j_factor
Reviewed on: 14-Dec-2004
- Summary
- Save the environment in what is quite possibly the lamest platformer ever. If you're the type that gets a kick out of really crappy games, this one's for you.
- Ratings
- Overall: F
- Gameplay: F
- Graphics: D-
- Learning Curve: F
- Replay Value: F
- Sound: D
- Pros
- Sound quality of voice samples is pretty decent
- "Environmentalist" premise is good for a chuckle
- Cons
- Graphics are passable at best
- Ridiculously unresponsive controls
- Soundtrack is incredibly dull
- Voice samples are annoying and repetitive
- Horribly haphazard level design
- Annoying, unnecessary trivia questions
- Lazy design of bosses
- Links
- Images
Description
This game is doubtlessly an effort to cash in on the successes of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Captain Planet. The plot: The evil Dr. Machino hates the environment and has created a legion of automatons to destroy it. Only you, Awesome Possum, can save the environment by battling these minions and taking out Dr. Machino.
The game's full title is actually "Awesome Possum kicks Dr. Machino's Butt", and when you turn on the game, the title screen will sing that at you (no, really). Then Awesome Possum proudly declares, "I'm awesome!" That right there is literally the peak of awesomeness this game ever achieves. Each area of the game (rainforest, ocean, etc) is divided into 3 levels, with a boss fight at the end of the third. Each level is introduced by a screen that says "Awesome Possum saves the environment in:"…”.
And it never gets any less lame.
The first thing you'll notice when you try to play the game is how jerky and stiff the controls are. Next, you'll observe the terribly bland graphics and lack of animation. You'll probably not notice the music, as it's the most uninspired, blasé background noise ever created. You'll hear plenty of voice samples though. Anytime anything happens, Awesome Possum feels the need to comment verbally. The voice samples are actually of pretty good sound quality, and animating his mouth to move as he speaks is kind of a nice touch. But the faux "in your face" attitude is decidedly not, and the constant barrage of these voice samples gets really annoying, really fast. Thankfully, you can turn them off in the options menu.
As you play through the level, you're meant to be doing two things -- collecting recyclables, and beating the environment-destroying robots by jumping on them. But you don't have to do either; all you have to do is get to the end of the level. "All you have to do is get to the end of the level" is a statement true of most 2d platformers, and it really rings true here. The haphazardly designed levels are open-ended and enemy placement isn't exactly well-planned. What this means is that you can just keep jumping over everything and go straight towards the exit. In fact, you can get past the first level by just holding down the b-button and right on the d-pad. There are also two different power-ups scattered through the level; one is for speed and one makes you jump higher. Unfortunately, they both also make the controls more unresponsive. You're better off avoiding them.
In between levels you'll be greeted with a retarded trivia question related to the environment. A trivia question between levels wouldn't be so horrible if they didn't pick such lame questions, like, "When did the first efforts to control whaling occur?" I mean, come on.
I've already mentioned that the level design is haphazard, but I feel it deserves repeating. The level design is really, really bad. It's very "thrown-together" with no fluidity whatsoever. Every level within each area feels the same as each other. I think this game was made in a week. After the third tiresome level of the same stuff, you'll be treated to a boss battle. The bosses are the most generic bosses in the history of video games. They don't really do much and you have to bounce on top of them repeatedly.
This game is actually pretty difficult. Unfortunately, the difficulty arises not from the levels, enemies, or bosses, but from the rather iffy collision detection, and having to constantly battle with the controls. Lots of games get criticized for having cheap deaths; this game has no non-cheap deaths in it.
In closing, Awesome Possum is a sad, sad affair. Probably the most retarded game ever to be burned to a Genesis cartridge, Awesome Possum is to be avoided like the plague unless you're a collector of lame games.
The game's full title is actually "Awesome Possum kicks Dr. Machino's Butt", and when you turn on the game, the title screen will sing that at you (no, really). Then Awesome Possum proudly declares, "I'm awesome!" That right there is literally the peak of awesomeness this game ever achieves. Each area of the game (rainforest, ocean, etc) is divided into 3 levels, with a boss fight at the end of the third. Each level is introduced by a screen that says "Awesome Possum saves the environment in:"…”.
And it never gets any less lame.
The first thing you'll notice when you try to play the game is how jerky and stiff the controls are. Next, you'll observe the terribly bland graphics and lack of animation. You'll probably not notice the music, as it's the most uninspired, blasé background noise ever created. You'll hear plenty of voice samples though. Anytime anything happens, Awesome Possum feels the need to comment verbally. The voice samples are actually of pretty good sound quality, and animating his mouth to move as he speaks is kind of a nice touch. But the faux "in your face" attitude is decidedly not, and the constant barrage of these voice samples gets really annoying, really fast. Thankfully, you can turn them off in the options menu.
As you play through the level, you're meant to be doing two things -- collecting recyclables, and beating the environment-destroying robots by jumping on them. But you don't have to do either; all you have to do is get to the end of the level. "All you have to do is get to the end of the level" is a statement true of most 2d platformers, and it really rings true here. The haphazardly designed levels are open-ended and enemy placement isn't exactly well-planned. What this means is that you can just keep jumping over everything and go straight towards the exit. In fact, you can get past the first level by just holding down the b-button and right on the d-pad. There are also two different power-ups scattered through the level; one is for speed and one makes you jump higher. Unfortunately, they both also make the controls more unresponsive. You're better off avoiding them.
In between levels you'll be greeted with a retarded trivia question related to the environment. A trivia question between levels wouldn't be so horrible if they didn't pick such lame questions, like, "When did the first efforts to control whaling occur?" I mean, come on.
I've already mentioned that the level design is haphazard, but I feel it deserves repeating. The level design is really, really bad. It's very "thrown-together" with no fluidity whatsoever. Every level within each area feels the same as each other. I think this game was made in a week. After the third tiresome level of the same stuff, you'll be treated to a boss battle. The bosses are the most generic bosses in the history of video games. They don't really do much and you have to bounce on top of them repeatedly.
This game is actually pretty difficult. Unfortunately, the difficulty arises not from the levels, enemies, or bosses, but from the rather iffy collision detection, and having to constantly battle with the controls. Lots of games get criticized for having cheap deaths; this game has no non-cheap deaths in it.
In closing, Awesome Possum is a sad, sad affair. Probably the most retarded game ever to be burned to a Genesis cartridge, Awesome Possum is to be avoided like the plague unless you're a collector of lame games.