Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure by Imagitec Design
I have to say, I was nearly ecstatic when I found this game for the shoddy price of $11. Side-scrolling platforms have and are my absolute favorite games and having seen the reviews for Pitfall on the Jag I knew this game must be mine. As I said before, I love fast-paced side-scrollers with lot's of action. Flashback never fit that bill, and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was just kinda pathetic. From the cunning opening Jaguar roar to the keen boomerang swoosh, I was hooked. The animation is incredibly fluid. It's supposed to have some motion picture quality to it (which it does). I was expecting a bit more, like Rayman style movement, but that was expecting too much I quickly saw. Enemy motion is just as silky as Harry. Snake's will slither back and forth then rear up their head for a strike while monkeys happily bounce around throwing little rocks at you. I don't really understand why it seem's that every animal in the jungle is after you, but at least it makes for some ferocious combat with the jungle rage. Backgrounds and foregrounds are nice. I think the fire and chain ball effects are excellent... but not dazzling. This is all 16-bit stuff. Even the music and FX are 16-bit quality. Not too say the game looks horrible. This is a superbly put together 16-bit cart that doesn't need any major enhancements. I would have liked some cleaner voice and more vibrant backgrounds. The color is not very high-spirited. Control works out fine. You can crawl and swing. Nothing exceptionally innovative at all. I do believe that the control could have been just a tad tighter. Jumping over leaping Jaguars can be slightly sluggish and you occasionally will get nipped on the leg whether you like it or not. The levels are nicely designed. There's an abundance of secrets to be found and taking time to jump into hidden holes or looking for secret vines will help out tremendously. One of my favorite points of the game is the fact that : 1= There's the original 2600 version to be found ...and... 2 = You have to find the 7 letters spelling out PITFALL. If you find them all you get a better ending (or that's what I hear). This is the type of reply value that I love. After I beat the game it's given me a huge incentive to go through all the levels again looking for every secret. Awesome. I'm one of those guys that if I'm playing a game but STILL haven't beat it then I MUST come back for more till I conquer the game... and that's what Pitfall has done for me. The action is mad. Being cornered by two Jaguars is one of the biggest thrills I've experienced with my Jag. I'm sure you know what kind of game this is by now. So, unless you're a slow thinker, an action hater, or an all-around lethargic portion of lard, I'd advise you to pick-up this game and not stop at it till you've prevailed over this beast of a cartridge with all the secrets and goodies at hand.
Overall- 87% |
