Revelation X

Perhaps I was too easily swayed to purchase this game for some unknown reason????

Somewhat inspired by the excellent post from Martin below, I've decided to tell you about two of my latest Saturn gaming experiences. I'll get the bad out of the way first. Those of you who have scrolled down the sidebar of the blog, will have noticed a permanent video link for a dailymotion clip of a Japanese game called "Digital Dance Mix" starring J-Pop stalwart Namie Amuro.



I originally threw this up there to try and impress one of my blogging heroes the wonderful "J" of RandomJBlog, who is not only a Saturn fan, but also a gaming guru and expert on all things J-Pop. But with the approach of Saturn February and the imminent arrival of my Japanese Saturn, I thought it might be a buzz to actually buy, play and review this culturally specific title. I assumed it would be a sort of "rhythm-copy" game, akin to Space Channel 5 - in other words, you watch Namie dance and then push corresponding buttons to repeat the sequence.

But no! Now unless I'm getting something very wrong (and there's every chance that I am) all it is, is some kind of dance instruction CD. You can choose from two tracks (Chase The Chance or You're My Sunshine), a variety of costumes and backgrounds and then off you go. You can then change the camera angles as a digitized Namie dances lamely and sings. Although the graphics are stunning for the Saturn, I'm beginning to think it's sole purpose is to teach young girls to study Namie's dance and learn it. Very disappointing? Somewhat so far...


You see, my attempts to be quirky and find a Japanese gem unknown to others, so rarely work. Ho hum!

Now, on to part two of the review. Revolution X had been in my collection for some time. The horrible looking case was battered and falling apart, in the way that those horrible PAL cardboard Saturn cases can just... disintegrate. There was no manual and I had given the game about five minutes play, when purchased. My only memory was thinking that it would have been mildly better with a lightgun and that the graphics were appalling...

But that's all changed! First of all lets spell out what makes this game so great... It's a frenetic shooter of the Outtrigger, Point Blank or Silent Scope variety, with the cursor flying round the screen and you locking onto targets. It plays beautifully with the pad rather than a lightgun. It's graphics are perhaps dated, but somewhat classic looking, using digitized sprites based on real photos (think Area 51).


The game focuses on you rescuing Aerosmith (for God's sake!- I feckin' love Aerosmith!!!) from a fascistic organisation called the New Order Nation, who are hell-bent on banning all things, that we, the kidz, are into! So basically, you're job is to stick it to the man, shooting bullets and CDs at them, whilst Aerosmith classics (Eat The Rich, Toys In The Attic, Walk This Way and Sweet Emotion) blast away in the background. Oh, and did I mention the bikini clad chicks, (sorry sisters - this is a Revolution after all...) -that you have to rescue?

This was an arcade port, which comes as no surprise, you can imagine the halcyon days of the arcade, with Wayne's World style youths pumping endless 50p coins into the cabinet to rescue Steve Tyler and the boys. The Saturn game even prompts you to put coins in when you need to use another credit...


Talking of which, on easy, the credit allocation is VERY generous and the game can be completed (to one of three possible endings) in one run through. The replay value comes from beating you're high score. I won't say too much more because the video illustrates the joy of the game very well!

You should be able to pick it up for a couple of quid, so go for it! You won't be disappointed I guarantee it...