This installment of GB's 100 Games is chock-full of Big Dumb Vidya Games. As I've mentioned in the past, Big Dumb Vidya Games are essentially the junk food of gaming. They tend to lurk in bargain bins and deliver cheap enjoyment by focusing on basic but enjoyable gameplay. No less than three such games have made it into today's lineup.
95: Rampage Total DestructionGenre: Action/Beat-em-up
System: GameCube
Developer: Pipeworks
Publisher: Midway
Released: April 24, 2006
Shallow and repetitive as all hell, the Rampage series nonetheless is a fun way to kick back and just smash a bunch of stuff. While Total Destruction offers literally dozens of playable characters (The Wii version adds even more), they all play identically and many of them share the exact same animations and sounds. Cheap even when it came out, Rampage Total Destruction is a low-budget mindless smash-em-up that's great for when you're not interested in doing any thinking with your games that day. Hey, thinking is hard.
94: Final Fight/The King of Dragons/Knights of the Round/Captain CommandoGenre: Beat-em-up
System: Arcade
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: December 1989/September 1991/November 27, 1991/November 1991
Here's the first combined entry - these four beat-em-ups are very similar and seem to run on the same basic engine. The King of Dragons and Knights of the Round are "Final Fight if it was medieval" and Captain Commando is "Final Fight if it was cyberpunk". All four games are solid and fun beat-em-ups. I played them all on the PS2 thanks to the Capcom Classics Collection discs. Final Fight is on Volume 1 and the rest are on Volume 2. If you like old-school beat-em-up games, you'll love these.
Also Haggar.
93: Offroad ThunderGenre: Racing
System: Arcade
Developer: Midway
Publisher: Midway
Released: September 21, 1999
A simple but fun racing game, Offroad Thunder is all about picking up boost powerups and speeding to the finish line before your enemies. It also has a Demolition mode and a Capture the Flag mode.
I played Offroad Thunder via the GameCube version of Midway Arcade Treasures 3. I also really liked Hydro Thunder, but I was unable to complete that game. The Thunder series is a solid choice if you just feel like racing with worrying about sim elements or blue shells.
92: The Jungle BookGenre: Platformer
System: Sega Genesis
Developer: Virgin
Publisher: Virgin
Released: 1994
When I was growing up, I didn't have any fear of licensed video games. I managed to get extremely lucky with them in the Genesis days, playing almost exclusively solid-to-great licensed titles. The Jungle Book is just one of those games. This fairly standard platformer mixes things up a little with its' many types of collectable ammo and wide-open levels that are won not by just reaching the goal, but by collecting a certain number of gems before going to the exit. Gameplay is solid and enjoyable and the graphics look pretty. Several songs from the movie show up in Genesis form, too.
91: Monster Jam: Urban AssaultGenre: Racing
System: PlayStation 2
Developer: Torus
Publisher: Activision
Released: October 28, 2008
The most recently beaten game on this list, I saw Monster Jam at GameStop this past summer. My mom bought it on the condition that it was to be a Christmas gift, so I waited half a year and finally got it in December as planned. Despite a number of minor issues Monster Jam: Urban Assault is a shining example of a Big Dumb Vidya Game, with solid gameplay that lasts long enough to provide value but doesn't drag on for longer than is wanted.
There's about two dozen monster trucks to play as, but none of them control any differently so you can go ahead and be the famous Grave Digger for everything if you want. If you'd like a challenge, the unlockable Backwards Bob is facing the wrong way, providing a bit of a mental screw as you try to work him the same as any other truck.
There's a good variety of events to play, ranging from standard 3-lap racetracks to destroying as much as possible to playing a giant game of skee-ball with your truck as the ball. There's also, of course, a standard monster truck event where you're judged on doing cool things inside an arena and smashing stuff, doing tricks, and running over cars all earn points. There's even a "only tricks earn points" mode, if you ever wanted to play Tony Hawk with a monster truck. The game features several dozen stages, two difficulty levels, multiplayer and four unlockable music videos of real-life monster trucks. Controls are a little weird to handle at first but once you master when to use nitro it's mostly smooth sailing. A handy Retry Course feature keeps frustration to a minimum. Load times are average, graphics are nothing special, music is forgettable.
Next time on GB's 100 Games: Platformers. Platformers everywhere.
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