Altered Beast is a forced side scrolling game in which you’re just a dude battling the forces of evil.  Along the way you’re fighting zombies and demon goats.  There are special ones that, when you defeat them, drop an orb that allows you to POWER UP.  Get three of these orbs, by killing three of the blue goats, allows you to transform into an ALTERED BEAST!  You’re super muscular and you need to be in this state for the level boss to allow you to defeat them.  Rinse and repeat over and over again.

Visuals:

Let’s talk about this game.  When it was released on the Sega Genesis it was shown as a graphical powerhouse and, compared to its contemporaries, that’s a valid statement.  But holy shit is this game just a mess.  The enemies look all poorly done.  The backgrounds are just a mess of randomness where everything gets lost.  The only thing that is of really any competence are the creatures you turn into and they are quite the lookers.

Audio:

The same can be said for the audio.  You get the same song over and over again for every level and as soon as you get an orb the song starts over again.  It’s a catchy song but I hate listening to it on repeat.  The rest of the audio is just that typical Sega Genesis grime with everything having such a deep bass…except for the dragon special.  Fuck that noise.  The voice samples are a treat for what they are but there are only a couple of them.  You’ll love hearing the “POWER UP” sample, though.

Completion:

Fuck this game.  Fuck everything about this game.  It plays like trash.  The enemies are trash.  The force scrolling is trash.  This game does not deserve the nostalgia it has.  It belongs at the bottom of a lake.

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It’s the first Contra for the Sega Genesis and boy is it a good’un. You get to choose between four characters who are extremely different as you go through many MANY stages to defeat the main bad guy(s). There are multiple endings depending on the path and choices you make. Also, unlike the Japanese version, we American’s only get one hit before we die. So good luck.

Visuals:

Man this game is beautiful. The scenery is bonkers. The main characters are all so cool looking and totally unique. The enemies stand out on every level. The bosses are big and dangerous looking. Some of them are super gross. It is 100% an absolute treat.

Audio:

The soundtrack is, probably, the best in any Contra game. Every level gets its own unique song with some of them being jaunty while the others are panic inducing. I love every song and sound effect in this game.

Completion:

I FINISHED THIS GAME! Actually, my girlfriend and I finished it. It took a while, many continues, and proper planning, but we did it. She beat it with Fang while I beat it with Sheena. It was a hell of a ride but I wouldn’t want to do it again. My heart was racing and I’m sure she can say the same.

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