RAD GRAVITY

 Have you ever purchased a game that you just couldn't decide whether you liked
or not? Well, unusual as it may be, that seems to be my current dilemma with RAD
GRAVITY from Activision. Maybe you can decide whether I like it after reading
this review (based on the Nintendo version).

 RAD GRAVITY is another jump-run-and-shoot platform game. Fortunately, it
doesn't resemble other games too much. A rare thing that I noticed about RAD is
that the plot is actually a part of the game, and the game follows this plot
very closely. Your mission as Rad is to reactivate several Compuminds (living
computers) and revive the union they once formed. Your block-jawed character is
interesting, to say the least. Chiselled from the cartoon molds of the past, Rad
Gravity strikes across the galaxy in his space ship, beaming down to dangerous
planets to find the Compuminds. Your main adversary is a living brain, but the
ending of the game might surprise you.

 There are ten worlds you can explore. Each has its own unique characteristics.
The differences in the worlds actually add to the gameplay value. Of course,
some of the traits are a pain: When you land on Turvia, everything will be
upside down, for example. Rad has a few special quirks himself. If you let him
stop in one place for too long, it looks like he is twiddling his thumbs and
whistling (one of the more important aspects of the game). There are other
occurrences throughout that are worth seeing, and that add to the humor of the
game.

 Everything is fairly straightforward. Most of the time you know exactly where
you have to go, and what you have to do. There are those occasions when you do
get lost, however. A nice feature is the ability to continue where you left off.
The passworded save method lets you do this, although the 20-character password
becomes a bit tiresome. One real problem with the game is the inability to make
out objects in the background. I had trouble figuring out if a ledge was
actually a ledge, or just something in the background to make the game more
colorful. Oh, and let's not forget the different weapons and power-ups that can
be found throughout. The game would be a chore if not for the various weapons
available.

 The graphics in the game aren't spectacular. Some may even say the graphics are
too little, too late. Compared with other NES releases, the graphics in RAD
GRAVITY might even be considered shoddy. The sound is okay, but tended to bother
me after a while. The tunes do change every now and then, but not often enough
for me. (I'm a strong supporter of a "background music off" command in all cart
games. You can turn the volume down on your TV, but then you won't hear the
special effects.) The gameplay is pretty good, and you can get some laughs out
of RAD. However, I ultimately found the game to be boring. I may give RAD
GRAVITY another look sometime, but not in the near future.

 RAD GRAVITY is published by Activision and distributed by Mediagenic.