Bob White said:
Rambo Gizmo should have became a game.
Movie-to-game concepts rarely go over well, even with subject matter that seems like it would translate well into a game. There are some ideas that make even less sense to translate into a game, such as Gilligan's Island. Gremlins 2: The New Batch is one of those subjects that is a bit hard to see as a game, but Sunsoft, which also published the solid Batman NES game, pulls off Gremlins 2 with style, creating a terrific and unexpected game.
The game starts out with leading gremlin Gizmo being released from captivity, presumably following the events of the first movie (editor's note: I personally haven't seen either movies, so my references to the game's movie content are not well formed; I am assuming that the game is loosely based on the movie). While trying to escape, Gizmo comes in contact with water, which causes him to produce mischievous gremlin offspring who he must defeat. Gizmo must now traverse through various areas while fighting enemies like bats, other gremlins, and giant tomatoes (I am not making this up). Aiding Gizmo is an array of power-ups and weapons, which range from tomatoes to paper clips.
Gizmo's weapons "level-up" in an interesting fashion. After completing certain levels, a new weapon well be given to Gizmo, which he keeps from then on. These weapons gradually get more powerful and have longer range, creating subtle strategy changes as the game progresses. Another feature is when Gizmo falls into pits, he will reappear in the last immobile place he was, sans one hit point (instead of one life). To protect him, Gizmo can use a balloon that not only saves him from harm, but also allows him to float through the level briefly, effectively flying over the hazards that are in the way. Pogo sticks can also be collected from defeated enemies, making Gizmo invincible for a short time.
Gizmo can also visit shops to gain various items in exchange for crystals dropped by felled enemies. These items can regenerate or extend energy, give an extra life, restock balloons, or power-up weapons. The problem with the shop structure is that shops only appear once per level, only one item can be purchased per visit, and a shop can only be visited once per level. This means that not only will the player have a stockpile of crystals that can't be used, but also have an overwhelming sense of being undersupplied. Allowing multiple purchases per shop would have made a huge difference in the difficulty and frustration of this game.
Sunsoft proves that they have a firm grasp of the NES's graphic abilities, at least. The graphics are excellent, especially for a game created in 1990. The environments are clean, detailed, and well animated, and the cinematics are some of the best in the NES library. Gizmo himself is a work of art in motion. Not only is he fluidly animated and detailed, his sprites were not simply flipped when he faces opposite directions (a corner-cutting technique that is still used to this day). This can't be praised enough, since it shows the amount of effort put into the artwork. While some of the enemies are detailed and look good, others lack detail or aren't animated well. Onscreen flicker also lowers the score.
On par with the graphics is the sound. The various sound effects do a very good job; each one is appropriate for the situation. Though they're nothing astounding, they aren't obtrusive, either. The music, meanwhile, is effective and driving, fitting the game perfectly. It's not on the top of the NES music charts, but it's very close.
The controls, unfortunately, aren't up to the quality of the rest of the game. While movement is functional, everything else feels like it could have been made a little tighter. Hitting targets can prove to be difficult without a powered-up weapon, not a good thing when Gizmo has several enemies on his tail. The worst offender is jumping. Simple jumps are easy enough to pull off, but constant, timed jumps or jumps to moving platforms are trickier than they should be. Forget about jumping from moving conveyer belts. While part of the fault lies with the overhead perspective in general, Gizmo could stand to jump exactly when told. Fortunately, the password feature saves the game from being too frustrating.
My first experience with Gremlins 2 occurred around when the game first came out. I always found it entertaining, but very difficult. I never owned a copy, though I believe Gremlins 2 was rented for me on more than one occasion. I purchased it in the fall of 2002 on a whim, probably because I remembered the music being good and figured I'd get some fun out of the game. I've never had the chance to sit down and beat it, but I have made much more headway than when I was younger.
......BOTTOM LINE: In the end, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a solid platformer with beautiful visual and an inspired audio package, but begs for further gameplay refinement. Recommended for platformer fans that can deal with some frustrating controls and design. Gremlins 2 falls short of a masterpiece, settling in as a good overall game
