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| Title: | Tempo |
| Released: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Platformer |
| Developer: | Sega |
| Publisher: | Sega |
| Regions: | USA, Japan |
| Availability: | Uncommon |
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Also known as Super Tempo in Japan.
The Genesis was the house of Sonic, pure and simple. NHL Hockey and John Madden Footballmay have been the walls and roof, but Sonic the Hedgehog was the foundation. Sega tried time and time again to establish another "mascot" character for the Genesis and beyond, with varying degrees of success. Ecco the Dolphin was a solid multi-platform hit, and Vectorman did fairly well considering his introduction relatively late in the 16-bit era. Other would-be mascots like Ristar and Dynamite Heddy weren't nearly so successful and haven't been heard from since, much like Knuckles and Tempo, the doomed mascots of the 32x. It's a shame Tempo didn't make it, as he's a cool character with a lot of personality and potential. Of the five platformers available for the 32x, Tempo is far and away the liveliest of the bunch. The graphics are wonderfully bright and cheerful, with loads and loads of glorious 32x color. The backgrounds are alive with animation and rotating polygons, almost to the point of distraction. Tempo himself is animated very smoothly, with all the personality and humor we've come to expect from Sega characters. Music and sound effects play very important roles in the overall concept of the game, and the catchy, dancable soundtrack will stay with you for days. Unfortunately, it seems that Sega spent more time on the soundtrack and graphics than they did on the gameplay, which is average at best. The game is unfairly difficult at times, and some of the levels are downright frustrating. We found ourselves stuck more than once, wondering what to do next. Tempo utlimately proves to be unsatisfying for some, delicious for others. You'll probably have a good time with this lesser-known mascot, but you may wish you were spending time with some of his more famous friends.
A downsized but enjoyable
Tempo game was released for the Game Gear, and the Japanese
Sega Saturn was home to difficult to find, mildly enhanced port of
Tempo.
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