Rampage series | Red Retrospective

Summary

This video review critiques a *Rampage* game, focusing on its changes and disappointments compared to earlier titles in the series. The reviewer highlights frustrating controls, repetitive gameplay, and underwhelming destruction mechanics, with slower attacks and a lack of meaningful variety across the game's 40 playable monsters. Despite the inclusion of challenges and unlockables, the game feels tedious, especially with the need to replay levels to find specific monsters. While the game isn't entirely awful, it lacks innovation and depth, leading the reviewer to recommend only select earlier *Rampage* games. A final note expresses bemusement over the *Rampage* movie adaptation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The motion controls in the Wii version of *Rampage* are uncomfortable, requiring repetitive and tiring 'waggle' motions to perform attacks.
• 😡 The removal of traditional punch mechanics in favor of slower slam moves significantly reduces the game's satisfaction and effectiveness in destroying buildings.
• 😕 The kick move, which previously allowed players to destroy entire floors, no longer has the same impact, and flattening buildings by jumping is no longer possible.
• 🔍 Finding power-ups like speed boosts or extra abilities in buildings adds some variety, but the process is largely random and luck-based.
• ⚠️ Challenges to unlock extra moves can feel tedious, as many involve finding specific items in buildings before they are destroyed, making progress difficult.
• 👾 All monsters in the game play similarly, with no unique move sets to differentiate them, which reduces the incentive to play as different characters.
• 🦸‍♂️ With over 40 monsters to unlock, the lack of distinct abilities for each one means players may just stick with the one they’ve already upgraded.
• 🔄 To unlock new monsters, players need to replay levels with different monsters, often without any indication of where to find them, making the process frustrating.
• ⛔ Bosses in the game are often ignored due to being annoying and unnecessary to complete levels, diminishing their importance in gameplay.
• 🚶‍♂️ The repetitive nature of the game, combined with frustrating controls and lackluster level design, makes the experience feel tedious and less enjoyable.
• 🎥 Despite the criticisms, the reviewer expresses mild curiosity about the *Rampage* movie, although they find its existence puzzling and unnecessary.

Q & A

What are the major criticisms regarding the controls in the game?

The game relies heavily on motion controls, which the reviewer finds cumbersome and ineffective. Actions like attacking and destroying buildings through waggle motions are frustrating, and the new slower slam move feels less useful compared to previous games' faster attacks.

How does the game’s building destruction compare to earlier titles?

In previous games, players could flatten entire floors or destroy buildings by jumping on them. However, in this game, the destruction mechanics have been toned down, and the kick no longer allows for complete building destruction, diminishing the satisfaction of wreaking havoc.

What is the issue with unlocking new monsters in the game?

Unlocking monsters is poorly designed as each monster has to be unlocked by playing as a specific monster to find them in buildings. There is no indication of where or which monster is needed to unlock others, making the process tedious and frustrating.

Why is the reviewer frustrated with the new abilities that monsters can unlock?

The new abilities only apply to the current monster being played. This means that even though there are 40 monsters in the game, there's no incentive to switch between them, as all monsters share the same move set, and you just unlock more characters for the sake of unlocking.

What’s the overall problem with the game's level design?

The game's level design is criticized for being repetitive and uninteresting. The areas are flat, and players mainly destroy buildings in the same type of environment without any variation. The lack of meaningful progression or challenges makes the game feel monotonous.

How does the reviewer compare *Rampage* to *Dynasty Warriors*?

The reviewer compares the repetitive nature of *Rampage* to *Dynasty Warriors*, noting that although both games have repetitive gameplay, *Dynasty Warriors* offers more variety with different characters and level designs, while *Rampage* lacks such innovation.

What issues did the reviewer have with the enemies in the game?

The enemies, such as tanks, helicopters, and people with guns, are not only repetitive but also become more annoying due to the game's 3D nature. Attacking helicopters is especially frustrating, as players can no longer simply punch up to hit them but have to use midair waggles.

How do health items and hazards work in the game?

Health items can be found in buildings, but hazards like fire and water are difficult to avoid and hard to notice, especially when at the front of a building. The reviewer also notes that to regain health, you need to eat people, which can become tiresome and repetitive.

What is the reviewer’s stance on the future of the *Rampage* series?

The reviewer believes that the *Rampage* series has outlived its usefulness. They express that the games are fun for stress relief but ultimately repetitive and outdated. A new *Rampage* game would need much better level design and variety to feel fresh.

What games does the reviewer recommend from the *Rampage* series?

The reviewer recommends *Rampage World Tour* and *Rampage Universal Tour* as the best in the series, noting that while they aren't for everyone, they offer the most enjoyable experience compared to later entries like *Rampage Through Time*.