Sick of the same old platformer characters? I've got nothing against Sonic, Mario, and their cohorts, but I just need something fresh once in a while. And that's what the wonderful world of imports is for. I decided to check out Go! Go! Ackman 2 for the Super Famicom. While I was sometimes facepalming with frustration, I had a great time with the game.
Hit the link for the full review.
Go! Go! Ackman originated as a comedy manga written and drawn by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Quest and (uhg) Dragon Ball fame. Ackman is a 200-year-old super-deformed kid who gathers souls for the devil. In order to harvest souls, he must defeat various enemies with his sword, boomerang, and gun. He's pretty much a Dante in training, right down to the white hair. Hmm, I think I'm onto something.
Anyway, the gameplay of this 2D platformer is decent, but not great. It's definitely a tough game, but in a janky way. Hit detection is unfair and enemy patterns sometimes leave no chance of escaping or fighting your way out. Boss battles are especially difficult. First of all, they take quite a few hits to defeat. Second, there's a lot of trial-and-error in figuring out the boss' pattern - when it's safe to attack and when it's crucial to run away. On top of all that, the controls can lag from time to time. If it wasn't for the fact that the game gives you an unlimited amount of continues, Go! Go! Ackman would be nearly unplayable due to its difficulty.
The game's graphics aren't quite on par with Super Mario World, but they're still impressive. The colors are vibrant and the sprites are solid, just what you'd expect from a SNES or Super Famicom game. The audio is standard; nothing really popped out and made me say "wow." The music is pretty decent, though.
Where Go! Go! Ackman 2 really shines is in its comedy and charm. For one reason or another, Ackman must defeat the rock band, Metal Angels, which consists of parodies of Elvis, Hendrix, a stereotypical crusty punk, and some sort of Asian snyth wizard, all headed by Ackman's arch nemesis. I get a real kick from seeing the Japanese's take on Americana, especially when they get things wrong. For example, there is a piece of grafitti that says "Punk Is No Dead." And of course, it wouldn't be a Japanese game if there wasn't a giant robot. After defeating the leader of Metal Angels in his human form, he will take control of a mech and proceed to beat the snot out of you. (I had to try at least 50 times to beat him.) I literally laughed out loud several times during the game thanks to its weird characters and awkward animations.
So despite its flawed gameplay, I still had a blast with Go! Go! Ackman 2. It's definitely a good deal since you can pick up a copy for about ten dollars. And best of all, the other two games in the series are supposed to be far superior. (They only had 2 at the store but I'll be importing the others soon.) So if you're looking for some 16-bit action that doesn't involve plumbers or rodents - and have the patience to deal with cheap enemies - definitely give Go! Go! Ackman 2 a go.
Yay: Hilarious characters, simple gameplay, cute character design, unlimited continues
Nay: Frustratingly difficult, final boss is nearly impossible
For those of you who can't read or only learned to read numbers: 6/10
Editor-in-Chief - Jim Squires Managing Editor - Daniel Lloyd Founding Editor - Daniel Zuccarelli
Contributors Bryan Wall Holly Green Lance Coviello Marc Deangelis Mark Peachey Mike Dodd
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 