Release Date: 1994
Players: 1-3
Graphics: 10/10
Audio: 9/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Overall: 9.5/10
-Stylish
-2d graphics at their best
-3 player Co-op
-No home port
-Hard for newcomers
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| Battle Toads | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Platform: Arcade Release Date: 1994 Players: 1-3 |
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| While they are not well known now "back in the day" the Battle Toads were the coolest amphibians around. Made by the legendary developer Rare, the Battle Toads games on the NES and Gameboy were well known. Not many people have heard of the arcade game and they are really missing out. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battle Toads is like many arcade games of its day and is a 2d beat-em-up. What seperates this game from the others is the sense of style. Battle Toads has style and attitude to spare. Everything about the game follows the "attitude" fad of the early 90's. The toads (Rash, Pimple, and Zitz) all have flashy attacks but you essentially only have an attack button and a jump button, which is nice since you'll have more things to worry about and the controls don't get in the way. The game isn't as notoriously hard as the console and handheld games but it still is really hard. You'll have to spend 5, 10+ dollars to beat the game by yourself the first time. Eventually you will be able to master the game and only die once or twice in a level. The game thankfully never asks you to jump over big holes so don't expect all the cheap deaths that plague the other games in the series. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Yes, I am the King of Karnage. Bow before me. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battle Toads has 6 levels filled to the brim with enemies such as rats and pigs. Most of the levels are your standard beatemup type where you guide your Toad left and right and punch everything in sight. There is a jetpack level that has you dodging all sorts of obstacles and another level where the Toads are on a ship shooting flying rats. The ship level is very impressive and gets intense at times. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Set.... HUT! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There isn't much of a difference between the 3 toads other than their looks but it's hard not to have a favorite. In addition to the standard punching and kicking the Battle Toads' limbs turn into drills, spikes, rocks, axes, and other cool and gruesome things. It surprisingly makes you forget that all you are doing is just tapping one button. Also there are many different types of moves to do. You can knock a rat over and start punching him in the face, do a dash attack, or kick them off the screen. Every once in a while you will find a weapon laying on the ground that is yours for the taking. The boxes are for throwing, the stick lets you smack several rats at once, and the guns let you do a long range attack. It is very satisfying to get a weapon and just go medievil on the baddies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Beating the baddies, with style! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At the end of each level there are some really cool boss balltles against GIGANTIC foes. My personal favorite from over the years is the Snake battle at the end of the second level. It is hiding in the background and you have to dodge it when it strikes then attack while it is stuck on the ground. Getting hit always freaks me out at the sight of my toad screaming and being smacked around and I love the way the snake dies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battle Toads is an amazing looking game and it makes you wonder if Rare had some technology no one else had when making the game. There always seems to be dozens of things moving and flashing onscreen at a high speed. The first level is probably the best looking and it takes place on a battleship in outer space. It has a Star Wars-esque battle going on with ships shooting at each other and flying around all while the toads are beating up the rats. Rash, Pimple, and Zitz look great and have many flashy attacks that smoothly change their limbs into all sorts of crazy things. I like Rash the most with his sunglasses and I like how he literally gouges the eyes out of the rats. Also he is the only toad who kicks instead of punching. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| If only cell phones were this cool. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes Battle Toads does have blood which is surprising since games were under a lot of heat back then because of Mortal Kombat. In some ways the game is a precursor to Rare's own Conker's Bad Fur Day in that it takes cartoony characters and adds some blood and violence. It's not really that bad though, nothing that would be higher than a "Teen" rating today but it adds a nice edge to an already cool game. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Another Rare trademark is great audio and Battle Toads easily lives up to it. Intense fast paced music plays in the background while you hear the screaming of pigs and rats, laying waste to dozens of them at a time. The second level has a cool little Christmas jingle gone bad sound to it which matches the scenery perfectly. At the end of each level there is always an awesome tune that plays while your toad flexs and then you hear a satisfying "Mission Complete!". The music is perfect for pumping you up to take on the challenge which is what every arcade game should be like. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I'm guessing that snakes don't like toads very much. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Due to the initial difficulty of the game it will take at least an hour and a half to beat the game. That may sound short in todays age but remember it is an arcade game. There are no save or break points and the action is always going. This isn't a game you are just going to beat and forget about, this is the type of game that will draw you in day after day especially if you play with 2 other friends. The only thing that could make you stop playing is if you spend all your money on the machine. Sadly there is no legal home console port and you might have to use an emulator if you want to keep playing. A game like this seems like a sure fire hit for Rare if they only put it on Xbox Live Arcade but the Battle Toads seem to be forgotten heroes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battle Toads has everything a brawler should have: swarms of enemies, cool attacks, and 3 player co-op. The only flaw isn't exactly the game's fault and is that there is no home port. Many arcade games have come to consoles and gotten better but you'll have to search your local arcades, if you have any, for this gem. Even if you have to go to Skateland like I did to play it, it is worth it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gameplay: 10/10 Graphics: 10/10 Audio: 9/10 Replay Value: 8/10 Overall: 9.5/10 |
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| Pros -Stylish -2d graphics at their best -3 player Co-op |
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| Cons -No home port -Hard for newcomers |
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