Rampage
System: NES
Release Date: December 1988
Developer: Data East
Publisher: Data East
Genre: Action
Rampage is an arcade port that is near and dear to my heart. I spent an hour and a half or so with my brother configuring the NetPlay and getting angry before we finally got it to work. Then it was up to us to destroy the United States of America. You take the role of mutant George the ape or Lizzie the lizard. You climb up buildings and punch them to dust with the A Button. When you punch holes into the building, you may uncover tasty treats that will replenish your health. You have to be careful, though, because other items will zap your health away.
The goal is to punch enough holes in the building (typically one side worth of holes) to cause them to crash on down. Standing in your way are local law enforcement and the army. Guys in green will shoot and throw grenades in your direction, but they can reliably be eaten for extra health. Helicopters swoop in and try to take you out, but punching them is easy. Police cars shoot some pretty powerful shots in your direction, as well as tanks.
As you run through the levels, you destroy different segments of America, and they become blacked out on the map screen. If you pay attention to the backgrounds, you can see some monuments, like the Statue of Liberty in Manhattan. You must destroy each building on the level before moving on to the next one. After 128 days of destruction, you defeat the entire USA and win the game.
Graphics: 1.5
The graphics are typical Nintendo sort. I can’t really tell what most of the little item icons are.
Sound: 1.5
The music is low key, but it’s memorable. The imploding buildings get annoying after awhile.
Gameplay: 2.0
Climb buildings, punch them, punch enemies, eat stuff. Not very deep. I was hit with a control glitch that would force me to jump if I punched while chewing.
Difficulty: 2.0
It took us a little under 2 hours to run through the game. You have infinite lives, so the challenge is sticking with it until the end.
Fun Factor: 2.0
It’s a lot more fun with a partner, I probably wouldn’t have sat through the whole thing on my own.
Overall Grade: 1.8
Rampage earns a C. It’s a fine arcade port, but don’t come in expecting the world or anything.