Capcom - 2002

I was a big fan of Ghouls 'n Ghosts for Genesis. It was nearly impossible, but, with lots of time and a little cheating, I beat it. Well, when I heard that a new one was coming out I was excited. The hero looked goofy as bot and still ran around in his underwear, what more could you want? How about simple yet fun gameplay? Got it.

The game starts out with Maximo being killed by Achille, the tyrannical Santa Claus that has taken Maximo's girl. Well, that was a short game. See ya later.

Alright, fine, there's more. In the underworld, you meet up with Death, who is pissed about Achille raising his dead. So Death, your new partner, sends you back to life to kill Achille. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Instead of just smacking Achille, you must free three babes and then smack Achille. Doesn't that make perfect sense.

The game progresses through three "hubs," or areas. Once you have beaten all the stages around in the area, you get access to the middle to fight a boss; beat the boss and you save a babe. After you beat the hubs, there is a final stage and then the final boss. This setup allows for some freedom in your stage selection, though, eventually, you have to do them all.

What I liked: Old-school feel; new-school style. This game is the perfect update of Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Ghosts 'n Goblins. It was reminisent of the old games without feeling like a remake. I really liked the skills, too. I could never wait to find out what each one did. The art style: it looked really good, but also cartoony and fun. Finally, I loved the end. The last fight was about as cool as they come and the end, a shameless setup for a sequel, left me wanting Maximo 2 even more than ice cream.

What I disliked: This game is hard. I died on the intro level. I'll admit, that's pretty bad, but still, it is a hard game. Also, you can't grab the edge of cliffs in Maximo. I might not have noticed this a few years ago, but now it is a platforming staple, especially in 3D platformers.

What to expect: Ghouls and Ghosts and Goblins, in 3-D. Also, it has simple, yet fun gameplay. The game starts out really hard so you just keep dying and continuing, but once you get a lot of skills, you won't want to die at all.

What not to expect: Maximo is not revolutionary, but it's not just a remake. Fans will be reminded of the originals, without feeling like they are playing them. Also, don't expect it to be easy. It is almost as hard as the originals.

What sets it apart from the genre: Skills. Designer Boxers.

Ratings on:

Controls: 7 - Pretty solid, but I sometimes had trouble judging distances for jumps and attacks. Also, it takes a second for the camera to swing behind you. In the meantime, you are being bent over by your new friend Zombie Bruce. (Editor's Note: This is a bad thing.)

Graphics: 6 - Also good. No slowdown and smooth textures.

Sound: 8 - Pretty good voice acting. The music was spectacular, though. It came straight from the originals, but sounds better than ever.

Style: 7 - The skills are really cool. I also like the cartoony look. The environments and colors really add to the overall feel of the game. The art is dark, but not too serious. I didn't take off for being a remake because it isn't. It's a totally new game in the series.

1st hour: 6 - Man, this is hard.

5th hour: 7 - I think it's fun, but I can't stop dying.

1st week: 7 - Hanging in there. The skills are getting good.

3rd week: 8 - Ok, with lots of skills, it's getting really fun.

5th week: 6 - Replaying stages for the 100%.

#1 thing I hate about this game: The wizards that pop out of the chests and turn you into an old man or a baby.

by Sundu