Battletoads (NES) - Part 1: Lovely Robo-Legs - Octotiggy
I don't think Rare tried hard enough to rip off the Ninja Turtles. Rash and Zitz should have had an anthropomorphic porcupine as a mentor, a human female photographer friend (who always dresses in blue overalls), and a fondness for burritos full of jalapenos and marshmallows, or hot fudge and refried beans, or whatever.
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Battletoads is a platform video game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. It is the first instalment of the Battletoads series and was originally released on 1 June 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was subsequently ported to numerous other platforms, including the Mega Drive, Amiga, Game Boy and Game Gear. In the game, two space mutant warriors known as the Battletoads, Rash and Zitz, embark on a mission to defeat the evil Dark Queen on her planet and to rescue their kidnapped friends; Pimple and Princess Angelica.
The game was developed in response to the interest in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. A Master System port of the game was developed but never released. It has received mostly positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the graphics and variations of gameplay, however many critics were divided over the difficulty. It won six awards from the 1991 Nintendo Power Awards, and has since been renowned as one of the most difficult video games ever created. It was later included in Rare's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay.
The game is a platform scrolling beat 'em up video game with varying elements of racing, climbing and vehicular-based combat. Players start with three lives each time the game is started, and get replenished every time the player continues after players get defeated. The game contains no saving system or password features. While the levels of Battletoads vary greatly in gameplay style, the game is generally presented as "beat-em-up" in which players progress by defeating enemies while avoiding the hazards in the environment. The players can finish off enemies in different ways, such as punching or kicking with an enlarged fist or boot, head-butting with huge ram horns, or by transforming into a wrecking ball.
Side-scrolling stages are generally presented as having an isometric perspective, while platforming stages that feature vertical progression are presented isometrically, which allows the player-characters to crouch. Several levels in the game feature sections in the form of an obstacle course, where the players must dodge a series of obstacles with speed increasing as the level progresses. Other types of level include two "tower climb" levels, a descent to a chasm while hanging from a rope, an underwater level, a maze chase riding a unicycle-based vehicle, a climbing and jumping "snake maze", and a race level in which the players has to fall as quickly as possible through countless platforms to reach the bottom of a tower before an opponent does. Hidden in four of the levels are "mega warp" points, which, when found, allow the players to automatically advance by two levels.
The game received mostly positive reviews from critics upon release. The Mega Drive version received an aggregate score of 73% from GameRankings. Reviewers of Mean Machines praised the graphics, with one reviewer stating that the cartoon-style cutscenes adds to the "greatness" of the game's presentation. Another reviewer summarised that the graphics were colourful and well-animated, although he considered the sprites to be "too small". Frank O'Connor of Computer and Video Games (CVG) thought the graphics were the best aspect of the game, heralding them as "packed" with colour, smooth scrolling and "humorous" animation. Paul Rand, another reviewer of CVG similarly praised the graphics and presentation, asserting them both of "excellent" quality. Bryan Lajoie of Quebec Gamer praised the graphics, stating them to be among the most graphically advanced NES games, in particular the animation. In a retrospective review for the Mega Drive version, Shawn Sackenheim of AllGame stated that Battletoads was a "graphical leap" for the NES, although he considered it "dated" for the technically superior Mega Drive.
O'Connor praised the overall gameplay, stating that while it borrowed "style and ideas" from other games, the combination of various styles "works a treat" and proved challenging. Rand heralded the gameplay as addictive. Reviewers of Mean Machines were divided over gameplay; one reviewer was initially sceptical over the prospect of "another NES platformer", although he praised the emphasis on beat 'em up action over conventional platforming.
Wikipedia contributors. Battletoads (video game). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. February 21, 2016, 23:59 UTC. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battletoads_(video_game)&oldid=706186447.