reviews
Game: Captain Planet
Platform: NES
Year Released: 1990
When I was growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was Captain Planet. I know some of you are probably laughing already, and I admit, the show is pretty cheesy, but I have many fond memories of watching it every day before school. This was a tradition that lasted for years, and I still have a place for the Captain and his planeteers in my heart today. Hell, I even have the Captain Planet theme song on my iPod. So when I heard that there was an old Nintendo game based on the show that I’d never played, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
I didn’t expect to be blown away, but even with low expectations, this game still managed to disappoint. When I started the game up, I was excited to hear some familiar sounds from the show, most notably the awesome theme song. You know the one: “Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero!” Well, not in this game, he’s not. Instead of any sounds resembling the ones found in the cartoon, Captain Planet has some of the worst video game music I’ve ever heard.
I was willing to let the bad music slide; after all, the game was made in 1990. Graphically, the game’s on par with the rest of the era. It’s not stellar-looking, but it’s not a complete eyesore. Brief cut scenes between levels allowed me a glimpse of some familiar sights, like my beloved Captain and some of the Planeteers.
Sadly, when it comes to the actual gameplay, this game falls horribly, horribly short. Each level is poorly designed, with no instruction given on what the player’s objectives are. You start out in the geocruiser, being randomly attacked by other ships and tanks. Why? I have no idea, but be careful, because one hit automatically destroys you. The player also loses a life if you accidentally touch some land, or destroy an enemy but then fly into it. There’s almost nothing in the level that’s even recognizable from the cartoon show.
The rest of the game doesn’t get much better. Even when you finally get to play as Captain Planet, his powers are not all that amazing. Sure, he can fly, and for some reason, he can turn into a fireball, but no matter what he’s doing, he gets killed with a single hit. It doesn’t even have to be a hit: if he touches some green sludge, for example, he’s dead.
Overall, this game is barely playable. The difficulty level is ridiculous, and makes the game feel more broken than challenging. There is nothing rewarding about it. Trudging through to the end of one level only gets you another tedious, terribly-designed level with bad music and frustrating enemies. It’s not even good as a novelty item. There is no fun to be had anywhere in this game.
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Platform: NES
Year Released: 1990
When I was growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was Captain Planet. I know some of you are probably laughing already, and I admit, the show is pretty cheesy, but I have many fond memories of watching it every day before school. This was a tradition that lasted for years, and I still have a place for the Captain and his planeteers in my heart today. Hell, I even have the Captain Planet theme song on my iPod. So when I heard that there was an old Nintendo game based on the show that I’d never played, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
I didn’t expect to be blown away, but even with low expectations, this game still managed to disappoint. When I started the game up, I was excited to hear some familiar sounds from the show, most notably the awesome theme song. You know the one: “Captain Planet, he’s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero!” Well, not in this game, he’s not. Instead of any sounds resembling the ones found in the cartoon, Captain Planet has some of the worst video game music I’ve ever heard.
I was willing to let the bad music slide; after all, the game was made in 1990. Graphically, the game’s on par with the rest of the era. It’s not stellar-looking, but it’s not a complete eyesore. Brief cut scenes between levels allowed me a glimpse of some familiar sights, like my beloved Captain and some of the Planeteers.
Sadly, when it comes to the actual gameplay, this game falls horribly, horribly short. Each level is poorly designed, with no instruction given on what the player’s objectives are. You start out in the geocruiser, being randomly attacked by other ships and tanks. Why? I have no idea, but be careful, because one hit automatically destroys you. The player also loses a life if you accidentally touch some land, or destroy an enemy but then fly into it. There’s almost nothing in the level that’s even recognizable from the cartoon show.
The rest of the game doesn’t get much better. Even when you finally get to play as Captain Planet, his powers are not all that amazing. Sure, he can fly, and for some reason, he can turn into a fireball, but no matter what he’s doing, he gets killed with a single hit. It doesn’t even have to be a hit: if he touches some green sludge, for example, he’s dead.
Overall, this game is barely playable. The difficulty level is ridiculous, and makes the game feel more broken than challenging. There is nothing rewarding about it. Trudging through to the end of one level only gets you another tedious, terribly-designed level with bad music and frustrating enemies. It’s not even good as a novelty item. There is no fun to be had anywhere in this game.
Related Articles:
Throwback Thursday: Harvest Moon
Throwback Thursday: Theme Park
Throwback Thursday: California Games
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Comments
*laughs* So we all agree that Heart was the Aquaman of the ring powers. And yet, just like the Justice League, we can't really live without it xD
When I went to do my Zombie Nation review I ALMOST did a review for this game instead. You obviously did a much better job as I could not even begin to write about this one.
I'd be playing and almost figure out what to do...then die. Not to mention that there's ZERO BACON! False advertisement!
yeah, it's always been universally agreed upon that heart was such a gyp "power".
i agree, this game needed a bit more thought.
also, I totally thought ma-ki was ripped off! wheeler gets fire, he gets heart! wtf!
i'm going to so love you to death!